T3) 

1E.5 


IC-NRLF 


883 


[DOCUMENT  129 --'1883.] 


CITY  OF  m   m!  BOSTON. 


REPORT 


COMMISSIONERS  ON  INVESTIGATION 
OF  WATER  SUPPLY. 


_v 


IN  COMMON  COUNCIL,  Feb.  15,  1883. 
To  the  Honorable  the  City  Council:  — 

The  Commission  appointed  in  September  last,  to  whom 
was  referred  the  petition  of  Henry  J.  Barnes  and  others, 
asking  for  an  investigation  of  the  water  supply  of  the  city, 
would  respectfully  submit  the  following 

REPORT: 

Although  the  terms  of  the  order  under  which  the  Com- 
mission acted  were  sufficient  to  warrant  an  examination  of 
all  the  sources  from  which  the  city  derives  its  water,  yet, 
as  there  has  been  no  recent  public  manifestation  of  discon- 
tent with  the  Mystic  supply,  and  as  it  was  not  alluded  to  in 
the  petitions  referred  to  the  Commission,  it  has  not  been 
included  in  the  investigation. 

In  endeavoring  to  arrive  at  a  proper  conclusion  in  regard 
to  the  Cochituate  and  Sudbury  supplies  the  following  course 
was  adopted  :  Hearings  were  first  given  to  the  petitioners, 
and  the  Water  Board  and  the  City  Engineer  were  then  re- 
quested to  make  such  statements  as  they  desired.  The  Com- 
mission then  called  before  them  the  various  experts  in  the 
vicinity  who  were  specially  familiar  with  the  subjects  in 
question,  and,  as  the  testimony  given  by  several  of  these  gen- 
tlemen is  of  great  interest,  and  should  be  preserved,  it  has 


ii  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

been  decided  to  submit  it  as  an  appendix,  where  it  may  be  ex- 
amined by  those  who  wish  to  satisfy  themselves  i4n  regard  to 
some  of  the  reasons  which  have  influenced  the  Commission  in 
making  this  report. 

The  sources  of  supply  have  been  carefully  examined,  and 
also  the  sources  of  pollution.  Other  large  cities  have  been 
visited,  to  obtain  information  in  regard  to  the  causes  of  the 
various  troubles  from  which  they  also  had  suffered. 

It  is  a  matter  of  regret  that  it  has  been  necessary  to  delay 
for  so  long  a  time  a  report  in  which  the  community  has  so 
deep  an  interest ;  but  the  consideration  of  the  supply  of 
water  to  a  large  city  opens  so  many  difficult  questions  that 
a  still  longer  period  might  advantageously  have  been  employed. 
'  The  Commission,  however,  having  unanimously  agreed 
upon  the  principal  points  before  them,  present  them  at  once, 
believing  that  their  opinions  will  bear  the  criticism  of  all 
who  carefully  investigate  the  subject. 

The  supply  of  water  in  Boston  from  the  Sudbury  and  Co- 
chituate  systems  is  about  32  millions  of  gallons  a  day,  of 
which  about  20  millions  are  commonly  taken  from  the  Sud- 
bury basins  and  about  12  from  Lake  Cochituate,  though  the 
latter  quantity  is  more  than  the  lake  can  be  counted  on  to 
always  furnish. 

Lake  Cochituate  is  a  fine  sheet  of  water,  with  gravelly 
shores,  and  if  unpolluted  and  properly  cared  for  is  as  good  a 
source  of  supply  as  any  city  could  wish  to  possess.  As,  how- 
ever, the  chief  cause  of  trouble  has  arisen  in  the  Sudbury 
river,  that  subject  will  first  be  considered. 

The  Sudbury  is  a  small  river,  starting  from  Whitehall 
pond,  in  the  town  of  Hopkinton,  and  running  eventually  into 
the  Concord  river.  Its  flow  varies  from  almost  nothing  in  a 
time  of  drought  to  hundreds  of  millions  of  gallons  a  day  in 
the  early  spring.  The  water  must  be  stored  at  that  time,  and 
preserved  until  Avanted,  at  some  later  date ;  and  it  is  to  this 
fact  that  much  of  the  trouble  is  due.  No  purity  of  supply 
or  preparation  of  basin  seems  to  be  able  to  thoroughly  pro- 
tect a  large  body  of  stagnant  water  when  exposed  to  the 
summer  heat.  At  the  same  time  the  troubles  experienced 
may  be  considerably  modified  by  proper  precaution.  Given 
a  large  body  of  quiet  water,  the  best  way  to  promote  the 
growth  of  algce  and  similar  aquatic  plants  is  to  store  the 
water  in  a  pond  so  shallow  as  to  allow  it  to  become  thor- 
oughly heated  to  the  bottom,  and  have  that  bottom  composed 
of  a  thick  layer  of  vegetable  mould.  Although  the  basins 
on  the  Sudbury  river  are  sufficiently  deep  in  the  centres 
to  keep  the  water  tolerably  cool,  yet  in  each  of  them  there 
is  a  large  quantity  of  shallow  flowage,  where  the  conditions 


REPORT  ON  WATER  SUPPLY.  iii  g^ 

referred  to  exactly  obtain.  It  is  true  that  the  experience  of  /  « 
Boston  is  only  that  of  many  other  cities  which  have  suf- 
fered in  the  same  way.  It  is  true,  also,  that  it  is  only  from 
experience  that  wisdom  is  learned,  and  that  it  is  much  easier 
to  say  what  should  have  been  than  to  say  what  ought  to  be ; 
for,  if  prophecies  were  made  of  future  trouble  when  the 
basins  were  built,  they  did  not  carry  conviction  with  them. 
The  fact  is  nowT  unquestionable,  in  the  judgment  of  the  Com- 
mission, that  the  only  way  to  properly  construct  a  basin  is  to 
take  the  loam  all  out.  Circumstances  might  be  such  that 
other  means  would  have  to  be  devised  to  accomplish  the  same 
result  at  a  less  cost,  but  no  basin  could  be  considered  prop- 
erly prepared  for  use  in  the  near  future  which  did  not  remove 
or  entirely  cover  up  all  decaying  loam.  If  a  basin  is  not 
wanted  for  a  number  of  years  the  loam  might  then  be  allowed 
to  remain.  A  pond  so  constructed  will  annually  work  and 
ferment  until  all  vegetable  matter  has  been  absorbed  and  car- 
ried off,  and  in  course  of  time  it  will  assume  the  condition  of 
a  natural  basin ;  but  the  length  of  time  that  this  will  require 
is  so  uncertain  that  no  city  can  afford  to  wait  for  its  accom- 
plishment by  natural  means.  On  the  Sudbury  river  the 
basin  from  which  this  sort  of  trouble  chiefly  comes  has 
greatly  improved  since  first  put  in  use.  Its  fermentation 
comes  every  year  at  a  later  date,  and  before  many  years  the 
body  of  the  basin  will  probably  be  in  good  condition ;  but 
the  shallow  portions  must  either  be  materially  deepened  or 
abandoned  altogether,  if  any  permanent  and  thorough  im- 
provement is  to  be  anticipated. 

There  are  three  causes  of  complaint  in  connection  with  this 
water:  first,  Algce;  second,  Spongilla,  or  the  fishy  taste; 
third,  the  presence  in  the  water  of  more  organic  matter  than 
is  proper  for  good  drinking-water.  The  first  has  already  been 
spoken  of.  It  is  liable  to  find  its  way  into  still  and  warm 
ponds,  no  matter  what  may  be  the  sides  or  bottom ;  but  it 
flourishes  more  abundantly  in  shallow  water,  and  grows  lux- 
uriantly in  Basin  3,  or  similar  reservoirs.  It  has  been  seen 
on  the  borders  of  Basin  2  ;  but  the  great  quantity  of  water 
rushing  through  Basin  2,  in  the  spring  of  every  year,  proba- 
bly carries  away  most  of  the  spores  which  may  have  been 
deposited,  and  the  current  of  the  river  is  much  stronger  than 
that  of  Stony  brook,  on  which  Basin  3  is  situated,  and  prevents 
that  condition  of  absolute  quiet  which  is  so  advantageous  to 
their  growth.  Basins  2  and  3  are  identically  constructed, 
and  yet  the  water  in  Basin  2  has,  practically,  been  as  free 
from  alc/ce  as  that  in  Basin  3  has  been  filled  with  them. 

Second.  — The  Spongilla.  To  this,  the  disagreeable  fishy 
taste  is  probably  due.  The  Commission  are,  of  course, 


vi  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.   129. 

produced.  For  this  there  is  no  remedy  except  time  to  re- 
cover, and  extermination  whenever  found.  «• 

Algce  have  been  always  observed  to  some  extent ;  but 
these  have  probably  come  from  the  shallow  flo wage,  by  which 
the  storage  capacity  of  the  lake  has  been  increased,  and  have 
never  affected  the  whole  body  of  water  to  any  such  extent  as 
to  call  for  public  remonstrance. 

The  sewage  contamination  to  which  the  lake  is  exposed, 
however,  is  so  grave  a  matter  as  to  demand  immediate  action. 
It  is  impossible  to  present  too  strong  a  protest  against  the 
existing  condition  of  affairs.  It  is  true  that  chemical  analysis 
is  again  powerless  to  demonstrate  the  effect  of  sewage  which 
has  been  poured  into  a  water  supply  in  comparatively  small 
quantities  and  at  a  considerable  distance.  Medical  testimony 
is,  however,  practically  unanimous,  as  to  the  peril  of  even 
a  very  small  quantity  of  healthy  human  sewage,  and  it  is 
perfectly  clear  on  the  point  that  the  germs  of  disease  which 
are  contained  in  the  discharges  from  the  sick  never  lose 
their  danger,  even  when  greatly  diluted  or  borne  a  long 
distance.  They  cannot  be  found  in  water  by  analysis  ;  but 
they  are  there,  and  if,  by  chance,  they  find  in  a  human  body 
the  proper  condition  for  their  development,  disease  would 
probably  ensue.  An  outbreak  of  cholera  or  typhoid  fever  in 
Natick  would  be  looked  on  with  great  anxiety  by  the  physi- 
cians of  Boston.  It  would  seem  as  if  there  could  be  no 
question  on  the  part  of  anybody  as  to  the  danger  arising 
from  the  pollution  of  drinking-water  by  human  sewage,  and, 
so  far  as  the  Legislature  of  this  State  has  acted,  it  has  always 
been  in  accordance  with  this  principle. 

The  Commission  believe  that  no  man  has  the  right  to  defile 
the  water  supply  of  a  community,  and  it  is  the  imperative 
duty  of  city  authorities  to  prevent  and  punish  such  pollution. 

It  is,  nevertheless,  the  fact  that,  in  spite  of  earnest  efforts  to 
remedy  this  evil,  means  have  been  found  to  evade  the  law  as 
it  now  stands.  Something,  however,  must  be  done.  If  the 
law  advisers  are  of  the  opinion  that  no  existing  law  can  be 
enforced  against  offenders,  there  are  three  courses  open  to 
the  city :  First,  to  strenuously  endeavour  to  obtain  the 
passage  by  the  Legislature  of  such  a  law  as  shall  enable  the 
city  to  protect  its  supply  against  pollution,  whether  caused 
by  a  town  sewer,  a  prison  of  the  Commonwealth,  or  a  manu- 
factory. The  city  is  undoubtedly  willing  and  ready  to  pay 
for  all  vested  rights  of  drainage,  if  any  such  exist,  but  ought 
not  to  be  driven  to  the  second  alternative  of  caring  for  all  the 
sewage  which  threatens  to  pollute  its  sources  of  supply.  To 
*do  this  would  not  only  abandon  a  principle  which  is  in 
accord  with  the  settled  doctrines  of  the  common  law  and  all 


REPORT  ON  WATER  SUPPLY.  vii 

modern  legislation  on  the  subject,  but  would  also  subject  the 
city  to  great  and  constantly  increasing  expense. 

Third,  to  abandon  the  supply.  This  would  be  a  mis- 
fortune, for  it  is  impossible  to  find  a  source  naturally  better 
than  Lake  Cochituate  ;  but  if  the  present  condition  prevails, 
and  the  water  is  to  be  polluted  with  impunity,  it  will,  at  no 
distant  date,  become  entirely  unfit  for  drinking  purposes. 

The  recommendations  which  the  Commission  make  for  the 
Cochituate  are  :  — 

First.  —  To  abandon  all  shallow  flowage  where  the  water  is 
less  than  eight  feet  deep,  and  remove  what  loam  there  may 
be  in  water  of  that  depth. 

Second.  — To  thoroughly  cleanse  the  Cochituate  aqueduct 
every  year,  to  ensure  the  removal  of  the  sponge. 

Third.  — To  prosecute  without  delay  the  people  now  pollut- 
ing our  supply,  or  else,  if  in  the  opinion  of  eminent  counsel  the 
present  statutes  are  insufficient,  to  seek  legislative  relief.  In 
spite  of  the  protests  which  would  be  made  by  communities  in- 
terested in  polluting  water,  which  they  do  not  drink  themselves, 
the  Commission  feel  that  the  Legislature  of  Massachusetts 
will  be  found  willing  to  enact  the  necessary  laws,  provided 
the  futility  of  the  present  ones  can  be  shown. 

It  has  also  been  brought  strongly  to  the  attention  of  the 
Commission  that  a  scientific  examination,  extending  over  a 
term  of  years,  would  probably  furnish  facts  of  much  value 
to  the  city.  They,  therefore,  recommend  the  engagement  of 
some  competent  person  by  the  Water  Board,  whose  duty  it 
would  be  to  make  periodic  examinations  for  a  term  of  years 
and  report  the  results  to  the  City  Council. 

JOSEPH  CALDWELL, 
MALCOLM  S.  GREENOUGH, 
NATH'L  J.  BRADLEE, 
JOHN  G.  BLAKE, 
HARVEY  N.  SHEPARD. 


APPENDIX. 


REPORT  OF  THE  HEARINGS  BEFORE  THE  SPECIAL  COMMIS- 
SIONS TO  WHOM  WAS  REFERRED  THE  PETITION  OF  HENRY 
J.  BARNES  AND  OTHERS  FOR  AN  INVESTIGATION  OF  THE 
CONDITION  OF  THE  WATER  SUPPLY  OF  BOSTON. 


FIRST  HEARING. 

WEDNESDAY,  October  4,  1882. 

The  Commission  met  at  4  P.M.,  Alderman  Caldwell,  Chairman, 
and  all  the  members  present. 

The  Clerk  read  the  call,  and  the  Chairman  announced  that  the 
Commission  were  ready  to  hear  any  suggestions. 

STATEMENT  OF  DR.  HENRY  J.  BARNES. 

Dr.  H.  J.  BARNES.  —  I  do  not  know  that  I  fully  understand  the 
scope  of  this  inquiry  ;  whether  it  is  admitted  that  the  condition  of 
the  water  has  been  such  as  to  give  cause  for  reasonable  complaint ; 
or  whether  you  seek  to  get  opinions  from  people  as  to  the  cause  of 
the  difficulty. 

The  CHAIRMAN.  — The  intention  of  the  Commission  is  to  get  all 
the  information  that  there  is  in  regard  to  the  water  supply. 

Dr.  BARNES.  — It  was  only  last  evening  that  I  received  a  notice 
of  this  meeting,  and  I  have  not  arranged  for  a  hearing,  as  I  should 
have  done  to  meet  the  case,  had  I  received  earlier  notice. 
But  if  you  think  well,  I  will  read  to  you  the  expressions  of  some 
of  the  gentlemen  who  signed  the  petition. 

But,  in  the  tirst  place,  I  wish  to  call  the  attention  of  the  Com- 
mission to  the  activity  of  the  spring  water-carts  about  the  city  for  the 
past  two  years.  Nobody  can  dispute  that  there  has  been  an  un- 
usual sale  of  spring- water  in  Boston,  and  as  the  author  of  the  peti- 
tion presented  to  the  City  Government  asking  for  an  investigation, 
I  obtained  some  signatures  ;  but  many  gentlemen  interested  in  the 
subject  carried  the  petition  about  themselves,  such  as  Kidder,  Pea- 
body,  &  Co.,  Jordan,  Marsh,  &  Co.,  Harvey  D.  Parker  &  Co.,  and 
others.  Mr.  Punchard,  of  the  firm  of  H.  D.  Parker  &  Co.,  when 
I  presented  the  petition  to  him,  said  he  hoped  something  would  be 
done,  as  it  was  costing  them  something  like  a  hundred  dollars  a 
month  for  spring-water.  At  Lewis  Coleman  &  Co.'s  the  young 
men  had  clubbed  together  to  buy  spring-water,  claiming  thnt  the 
water  they  received  from  the  city  was  unfit  to  drink.  Jordan, 


2  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

Marsh,  &  Co.  took  the  petition  and  carried  it  about,  and  obtained 
signatures  in  their  place  and  about  the  city.  Mr.  Barnes,  of  the 
Hotrl  Brunswick,  stated  to  me  that  I  could  not  state  the  griev- 
ance too  strong  to  the  authorities,  for  the  "  water  had  not  been 
fit  to  bathe  in  much  of  the  time  for  a  year  on  account  of  the  odors 
which  came  from  it." 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  — Did  he  say  that  he  furnished  his  guests  with 
spring-water  to  bathe  in  ? 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  No,  sir.  He  said  he  did  not  consider  it  fit  to 
bathe  in.  The  proprietors  of  all  the  hotels  I  saw  about  this  peti- 
tion signed  it  with  but  one  exception,  and  they  said  they  did 
not  care  a  d — n  about  the  water,  as  they  sold  rum,  and  not 
water. 

1 1  would  hardly  seem  necessary  to  call  your  attention  to  the  con- 
dition of  the  water-tanks  at  the  tops  of  the  houses  in  the  city.  I 
looked  into  many  on  Marlborough  street,  last  winter,  and  found  the 
bottom  covered  with  a  material  —  a  sediment  —  of  from  two  to  two 
and  a  half  inches  deep.  In  the  house  I  live  in  I  found  this  mate- 
rial three-quarters  of  an  inch  deep  in  the  bottom  of  the  tank,  and 
taking  it  out  put  it  in  a  glass  jar,  and  there  is  nothing  I  can  com- 
pare it  to  for  disgusting  odor.  Mr.  Reed,  of  the  Boston  Ice  Com- 
pany, said  to  me  that  "  his  tank  was  filled  to  such  an  extent  as  to 
stop  the  flow  of  water,  and  that  he  was  melting  ice  for  drinking 
purposes,  and  he  had  been  doing  so  for  months." 

Then,  in  regard  to  associating  the  odors  perceived  here  with  the 
odors  in  Farm  pond.  I  have  passed  that  pond  frequently  and 
noticed  that  the  stench  was  most  disgusting,  indicating  that  a  large 
amount  of  decay  was  going  on  there.  Mr.  A.  W.  Brigham,  at  14 
Summer  street,  riding  with  me,  said  "  What  a  smell  this  is  !  "  as  we 
were  passing  Basin  3  on  the  north  division  of  the  Old  Colony 
Railroad.  Mr.  W.  G.  Lewis,  of  Framingham,  said  "  that  at  times 
he  could  not  remain  there,  its  smells  were  so  bad."  Mr.  Pope,  of 
Leominster,  has  also  noticed  the  stench  coming  from  Basin  3  and 
Farm  pond  during  the  past  summer.  I  had  a  conversation  with  a 
pin  i  n  her  on  the  Back  Ba\r,  who  said  his  business  had  increased  five- 
fold in  cleaning  tanks,  and  he  had  been  kept  veiy  bus}'  indeed 
cleaning  them  out  where  the  material  had  deposited.  Dr.  Oliver 
Wendell  Holmes  stated  to  me  that  he  had  not  drank  an}r  city  water 
for  two  j^ears  ;  and  many  people  on  the  Back  Bay  stated  the  same 
thing. 

I  cannot  think  it  mere  sentiment  which  prompts  people  to  buy 
spring- waters.  I  see  four  or  five  different  companies  busy  furnish- 
ing the  people  with  spring-water.  No  longer  ago  than  this  morn- 
ing I  happened  to  be  in  a  neighboring  house,  and  the  lady  said  to 
me,  "Isn't  the  water  getting  bad?"  as  she  had  noticed  the  smell 
from  the  hot  water.  Another  person  I  met  in  the  car  on  my  way 
here  said  the  same  thing.  There  has  not  been  a  time  this  year, 
when  I  have  drawn  hot  water  from  the  faucet  in  my  house,  that 
there  has  not  been  a  stench.  It  is  not  so  bad  at  all  times.  Since 
I  have  returned  to  Boston  this  fall  I  have  been  compelled  to  buy 
spring-water ;  and  it  is  getting  to  be  something  of  a  tax  to  add  to 
thnl,  regularly  collected  in  advance  by  the  city. 


APPENDIX. 

Last  August  I  visited  Basin  No.  3,  in  company  with  Dr.  Baker 
of  this  city,  and  Prof.  Rice  of  Annapolis,  and  some  other  gentle- 
men. We  were  surprised.  Mr.  Rice,  not  knowing  the  topography 
of  the  country,  spoke  of  the  smell  long  before  we  came  in  sight  of 
the  basin.  We  went  to  one  of  the  gate-houses  and  lifted  the  traps, 
and  there  was  a  stench  like  that  from  a  sewer.  I  do  not  know  that 
I  ought  to  speak  of  this,  as  it  might  injure  the  man  in  charge  ;  but 
he  said  he  was  surprised  that  the  people  of  Boston  would  drink 
such  stuff;  that  he  did  not  any  more  think  of  drinking  it  than  any- 
thing in  the  world  ;  and  that  he  was  constantly  kept  busy  polishing 
the  brass  over  these  traps.  This  was  the  gate-house  at  Basin  No. 
3,  and  the  time  was  last  August,  two  months  ago.  Dr.  Baker  said 
he  would  not  bathe  in  it,  and  a  lady  said  she  did  not  think  it  was 
fit  to  be  used  for  washing.  It  was  a  time  when  the  gates  were 
raised  for  the  water  to  be  run  into  Farm  pond. 

It  seems  to  me  the  trouble  has  arisen  chiefly  in  this  basin  ;  and 
that  its  purification  has  been  sadly  neglected.  Mr.  Remsen  reported 
it  as  smelling  of  the  "  pigpen,"  in  his  investigation,  arid  that  no 
spongilla  has  thus  far  been  found  there.  I  have  given  special 
attention  to  this  basin,  and  it  seemed  obvious  enough  what  was 
giving  rise  to  the  trouble  there.  Of  course  you  all  know  the  exten- 
sive territory  flooded,  in  the  soil  and  lands  of  which  must  necessa- 
rily have  lived  and  died  vegetable  matter,  which,  decaying,  would 
vitiate  the  water,  as  flowers  do  in  a  vase.  About  every  year  since 
the  basin  was  built,  there  has  been  more  or  less  complaint  about 
the  taste  of  the  water.  Before  it  was  used  —  some  seven  years, 
I  think  —  the  water  of  Stony  brook  and  Sudbury  river  was  used  by 
the  city,  through  Farm  pond  and  Lake  Cochituate,  without  trouble  ; 
and  it  seems  to  me  wrong  to  ascribe  the  water  troubles  to  Farm 
pond,  which  I  have  known  from  my  childhood  to  be  pure  and  clean, 
as  the  bottom  could  be  seen  from  many  parts  of  the  surface. 
I  have  boated  there,  and  could  see  the  clear  rocks  and  sand  several 
feet  below  the  surface.  In  some  parts  it  has  a  boggy  or  peat  bot- 
tom ;  but  I  have  never  known  the  water  discolored  until  the  water 
from  the  basins  was  turned  into  it.  It  is  not  necessarjr  to  de- 
tain you  by  going  into  the  question  investigated  and  reported 
upon  so  satisfactorily  by  Prof.  Remsen,  in  relation  to  this  pond ; 
but  to  associate  his  report  with  what  Mr.  Hyatt  stated  at  the  meet- 
ing of  the  Natural  History  Society,  last  winter,  "  that  the  animal- 
cules were  the  chief  substance  upon  which  spongilla  lived,"  and  the 
statement  in  "  Griffith  &  Henfrey's  Micrographic  Dictionary,"  that 
algce  are  the  principal  nourishment  for  the  spongilla,  for  both  are 
found  in  great  numbers  in  Basin  No.  3,  and,  conveyed  to  Farm 
pond,  nourish  the  spongilla.  Mr.  Van  Veet  found  the  spongilla  dis- 
tributed in  that  part  of  Farm  pond  which  Mr.  Wightman  said  was 
the  natural  channel  between  the  two  gate-houses.  He  found  it 
chiefly  about  the  upper  gate-house.  The  effect  of  building  the 
channel  around  Farm  pond,  last  winter,  was  simply  to  transfer  the 
growth  of  the  spongilla  to  the  walls  of  the  new  conduit ;  for,  in 
conversation,  last  June  or  July,  with  a  man  who  had  something  to 
do  with  the  cleaning  out  of  the  conduit,  he  said  the  walls  were 
lined  with  spongilla,  from  South  Framingham  to  Natick.  You  re- 


4  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

member  a  complaint  in  the  city  last  summer,  some  time  in  June, 
when  Mayor  Green  visited  the  basins,  and  it  was  semi-officially 
stated  that  the  trouble  was  somewhere  between  South  Framingham 
and  Boston. 

I  wish  to  say  in  regard  to  Farm  pond,  that  }Tou  will  find  it  in  a 
different  condition  now  from  what  I  knew  it  to  be  before  the  Sud- 
bury-river  water  was  let  into  it.  When  the  water  was  drawn  off 
from  that  pond  last  winter  I  took  pains  to  go  around  the  basin  and 
measure  the  depth  of  a  fresh  deposit  of  mud  overlying  the  clean 
gravel.  I  found  it  about  the  banks  of  the  new  canal,  varying  in 
thickness  from  one  to  ten  inches,  and  it  seemed  to  be  a  fresh 
deposit,  as  it  was  filled  with  sticks,  roots,  blades  of  grass,  and 
leaves.  The  peculiar  condition  of  the  banks  of  Basin  No.  3  indi- 
cates this  material  was  washed  from  them  by  the  action  of  the  waves 
taking  in  suspension  this  matter,  and  deposited  in  Farm  pond.  A 
great  deal  of  it  has  been  brought  to  Boston,  rendering  filtering  so 
necessary,  and  to  the  tanks  in  our  houses  ;  at  any  time  almost,  we 
may  hold  up  a  glass  of  water  and  see  it.  I  cannot  see  how  it  is 
possible  for  any  one  to  contend  that  Farm  pond  could  act  other- 
wise than  as  a  settling-basin  for  the  great  amount  of  material  taken 
up  from  the  banks  of  the  ponds  above.  There  are  man}''  reports 
in  the  Boston  City  Documents  ascribing  the  cause  of  bad  water  to 
the  decay  of  vegetable  matter.  Westboro',  which  has  had  trouble 
with  its  water,  has  lately  received  a  report  from  the  engineer  em- 
ployed, to  the  effect  that  it  comes  from  shallow  flowage  of  farm 
lands,  resulting  in  deca3*ing  vegetable  matter.  Springfield  has  had 
trouble  with  its  water,  and  the  investigation  showed  that  it  was 
from  decayed  vegetable  matter.  Spot  pond  gave  trouble  some 
years  ago,  and  has  often  been  spoken  of  as  an  anomalous  case. 
Mr.  Wilde,  of  the  firm  of  Lawrence,  Wilde,  &  Co.,  and  a  member 
of  the  Water  Board  having  this  pond  in  charge,  stated  to  me  that 
there  was  no  question  of  the  cause  of  the  difficulty  there.  kt  In  a 
dry  summer  the  mud  bed  of  the  basin  had  been  laid  bare,  vegeta- 
tion had  sprung  up,  and  the  overflowing  of  it  and  its  consequent 
decay  had  caused  the  trouble."  The  Water  Board  removed  this  mud 
as  soon  as  possible,  and  they  have  had  no  trouble  since.  The  in- 
vestigation in  Westboro'  was  reported  three  or  four  weeks  ago,  and 
was  published  in  the  "  Westboro'  Chronotype." 

Last  summer  the  Committee  on  Water,  and  other  members  of  the 
City  Government,  made  their  annual  visit  to  the  water  works,  and 
many  of  them  noticed  what  were  called  animalcules  in  the  water ; 
but  they,  being  viewed  with  the  naked  eye,  ought  to  be  called  ani- 
mals, from  their  size  ;  and  their  presence  certainty  indicates  impu- 
rity of  the  water.  From  twenty  to  thirty  are  said  to  have  been 
seen  in  a  single  glass. 

It  seems  to  me  the  condition  of  the  city  water  is  not  what  it  should 
be.  The  water-carts  are  going  about  the  streets  selling  water  at 
ten  cents  a  gallon,  which  is  the  price  of  cider.  The  proprietor  of 
the  Everett  spring  water-cart,  standing  in  Hamilton  place,  this 
summer,  must  have  taken  from  thirty  to  forty  dollars  a  day.  And 
yet  there  was  a  fountain  near  by  where  the  people  might  have  city 
water  for  nothing. 


APPENDIX.  5 

You  see  I  have  imperfectly  prepared  this  communication,  from 
the  limited  time  I  have  had.  I  should  have  preferred  to  present 
my  views  in  writing,  that  the}'  might  have  been  in  better  form. 
Nothing  further  occurs  to  me  to  suggest  now. 

Mr.  BRADLEE.  —  Do  you  know  any  injury  to  health  caused  by 
the  use  of  the  water? 

Dr.  BARNES.  — I  cannot  say  that  I  do.  I  do  know  that  we  had 
an  unusual  number  of  cases  of  typhoid  fever  last  year.  I  do  not 
know  that  the  Board  of  Health  assigns  it  to  impure  water ;  but 
last  summer  the  number  of  cases  of  typhoid  fever  was  unusual. 

Q.  As  I  understand  you,  you  attribute  the  whole  cause  to 
Basin  No.  3? 

A.  Well,  sir,  I  think  the  same  causes  operate  in  Basin  No.  2, 
but  not  so  strongly,  in  consequence  of  its  banks  being  steep  and 
effectively  washed  down  to  the  clear  gravel.  There  are  no  shoals 
left  bare  in  Basin  No.  2,  as  is  the  case  of  Basin  No.  3  when  the 
water  is  a  little  low  ;  and  this  basin  has  been  treated  entirely 
different  from  Basin  No.  3.  Last  year  the  mud  bed  of  Basin  No, 
3  was  laid  entirely  bare,  except  the  little  stream  that  trickled 
through  it.  On  the  other  hand,  Basin  No.  2  was  drawn  down,  but 
it  soon  filled  by  the  considerable  water  flowing  in  the  Sudbury, 
and,  consequently,  this  water  was  fair. 

Q.  Do  you  know  any  difference  between  the  high  and  low  ser- 
vice as  to  its  character? 

A.  I  cannot  say  positively  that  I  do,  but  what  information  I 
have  on  the  subject  is,  that  the  high-service,  which  comes  from 
Lake  Cochituate,  is  good  enough,  and  that,  the  low-service,  or 
Sudbury  river,  is  what  is  complained  of. 

Q.     How  do  you  account  for  the  difference? 

A.  It  is  onl}r  a  matter  of  opinion,  but  I  think  the  reason  is 
that  one  is  from  Lake  Cochituate  and  the  other  from  Sudbury 
river. 

Mr.  BRADLEE.  —  I  would  like  to  ask  the  Water  Board  if  that  is 
a  fact. 

Mr.  CUTTER  (Chairman  of  the  Water  Board) .  —  It  is  not. 

Dr.  BARNES. — Was  it  not  so  last  year,  when  there  was  com- 
plaint? 

Mr.  CUTTER.  —  When  we  drew  the  water  off  from  Farm  pond, 
and  shut  off  the  Sudbury  river  altogether,  Lake  Cochituate  was 
used  by  both  services. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Dr.  Barnes,  what  is  your  remedj*  for  this 
difficulty  ? 

A.  I  do  not  claim  to  be  an  expert  on  this  subject,  but  it  seems 
to  me  to  make  those  basins  of  the  character  of  natural  ponds 
would  correct  the  whole  matter.  That  can  be  accomplished  by 
cleaning  the  banks  and  removing  the  mud.  It  is  a  question  in  my 
mind  whether  the  mud  in  the  deepest  parts  of  Basin  No.  3  is  a 
cause  of  the  trouble.  It  seems  to  me  it  is  the  material  brought 
into  the  water  by  the  action  of  the  waves  that  gives  rise  to  the 
trouble,  and  the  growth  of  the  algce  on  the  mud  banks. 

Mr.  BRADLEE.  —  You  do  not  think  there  is  anything  radically 
unclean  in  the  source  of  supply,  do  you  ? 


6  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.   129. 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  From  what  I  know  of  Sudbury  river  and  Stony 
brook  the  water  is  good  enough.  The  artificial  changes  made 
there  have  caused  the  trouble,  and  it  further  seems  tome  the  drain- 
age of  Natick  hus  not  had  much  influence  upon  the  water  supply. 
Mr.  Remsen  found  the  water  in  Lake  Coc.hituate  good  enough. 
Therefore,  I  do  not  feel  that  this  basin  is  at  fault.  In  fact,  all 
summer  Lake  Cochituate  has  been  clear,  and  }*ou  could  look  into 
it  at  considerable  depth  ;  whereas  in  Farm  pond  3Tou  could  not  look 
into  it  three  inches. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  —  Are  you  acquainted  with  the  sources  of  supply 
of  Sudbury  river? 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  No,  sir. 

Q.     Or  where  it  rises  ? 

A.  No,  sir.  Most  of  my  information  comes  from  the  reports 
of  commissioners  and  committees  on  the  subject.  Mr.  Davis  said 
the  Sudbury-river  water  was  used  for  bleaching  purposes  for  man}' 
years,  and  that  it  had  unusual  purity.  He  advised  the  city  to  take 
it  in  preference  to  the  Charles,  on  account  of  its  purity.  You 
know  it  was  debated  at  considerable  length  by  the  City  Government, 
and  it  was  taken  on  account  of  its  freedom  from  impurities. 

Q.  Your  own  opinion  is,  that,  if  we  would  get  rid  of  the  spon- 
gilla  and  algce,  it  must  be  done  by  making  the  basins  as  much  like 
natural  lakes  as  possible  ? 

A.  Yes.  sir  ;  I  think  it  would.  I  think  that  the  mud  flats  about 
Basin  No.  3,  where  the  crows  have  hovered  for  several  years,  and 
the  unusual  growth  of  mussels  about  Farm  pond,  show  an  unusual 
degree  of  impurity  there. 

Q.  What  was  this  deposit  that  you  found  in  the  bottom  of  your 
tank? 

A.  Well,  it  resembled,  as  nearly  as  possible,  the  material 
which  I  have  in  my  bag  here  (showing  it).  These  are  some 
specimens  I  obtained  from  Farm  pond  when  it  was  drawn  down. 
They  have  been  transferred  from  the  original  bottles,  and  have  lost 
their  original  odor.  I  exhibited  them  to  the  Suffolk  Medical 
Society,  and  all  the  gentlemen  present  will  testify  to  their  bad 
smell.  This  is  material  I  took  from  the  bed  of  Farm  pond  about 
three  inches  below  the  surface,  which  was  the  natural  bed  of  the 
pond,  but  was  overlaid  in  that  particular  locality  by  material  hav- 
ing a  certain  amount  of  organic  matter  in  it.  These  specimens 
contain  roots,  blades  of  grass,  and  other  organic  matter.  They 
were  taken  from  a  little  trench  made  to  drain  the  new  canal 
around  Farm  pond.  From  the  presence  of  roots,  grass,  etc.,  I 
infer  that  it  was  a  recent  deposit.  If  it  had  been  mud  which  had 
laid  there  for  ages,  we  would  not  have  found  material  of  that 
character  in  it. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  You  do  not  find  the  same  material  in  the 
tanks  in  the  city? 

Dr.  BAUNES.  —  I  found  the  same  material  under  the  microscope, 
but  the  particles  were  finer  divided. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Your  chief  objection  to  the  water  is  its  disagree- 
able taste,  sight,  and  smell  ? 

Dr.  BARNES.  — Yes,  sir.     The  three  senses  condemn  it. 


APPENDIX,  7 

Q.    But  it  is  not  necessarily  dangerous  to  health? 

A.  I  should  not  pretend  to  give  an  opinion  upon  that  matter. 
I  onl}*  feel  that  those  elements  have  no  business  in  our  water 
supply. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  — Have  you  looked  over  the  whole  supply  of 
Basins  Nos.  2  and  3? 

A.  I  am  tolerably  familiar  with  them  ;  not  so  familiar  with  No.  2 
as  with  Farm  pond,  and  Basins  No.  1  and  No.  3. 

Q.  There  is  considerable  discoloring  matter  that  comes  into 
them  from  the  river? 

A.  Yes,  sir ;  in  all  brooks  there  is  considerable  discoloring 
matter,  particularly  at  high  water.  But  it  seems  to  me,  if  those 
basins  were  used  as  settling-basins  instead  of  basins  constantly 
taking  up  material,  we  would  not  have  so  much  trouble  in  the 
city. 

Q.    Have  you  noticed  an}*  difference  in  the  water  in  the  basins? 

A.  I  cannot  say  in  regard  to  the  color  of  Basin  No.  2  ;  but 
I  am  familiar  with  Basins  1,3,  and  Farm  pond. 

Q.  In  your  judgment,  is  the  water  darker  after  leaving  Farm 
pond  than  when  it  comes  in  from  Sudbury  river? 

A.  No,  sir  ;  I  only  say  the  water  of  Sudbuiy  river  is  naturally 
much  darker  than  that  of  Farm  pond  and  Stony  brook,  and  at  the 
present  time  the  water  of  Farm  pond  resembles  that  of  Basin 
No.  3. 

Q.  Now,  it  does  not  conform  to  my  recollection  of  Farm  pond 
that  the  bottom  was  covered  with  mud  when  it  was  drawn  down 
last  year. 

A.  Well,  sir,  on  the  side  next  to  the  Old  Colony  Railroad, 
where  the  shores  are  steeper,  the  material  had  not  settled  much, 
although  there  was  some  organic  material  mixed  with  the  sand. 
But  the  canal  cut  through  this  deposit  of  mud  all  the  way  to  the 
lower  gate-house.  About  the  lower  gate-house  there  was  a  natural 
deposit  of  a  very  different  character.  The  little  ditches,  dug  to 
drain  the  canal,  cut  through  this  fresh  mud  from  eight  to  ten 
inches  ;  and  over  the  entire  surface  there  was  a  half  to  one  or  two- 
inches  of  this  material.  That  bottle,  which  is  the  third  in  size, 
contains  but  very  little  organic  matter  compared  with  the  others. 
It  is  chieflV  mixed  with  sand.  That  was  taken  from  near  the  canal,, 
on  the  opposite  side  from  the  Albany  Railroad,  near  the  upper 
gate-house.  Near  the  Albany  Railroad  there  was  an  old  peat-bog 
which  was  covered  with  water. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  As  you  go  along  from  the  Alban}'  Rail- 
road up  towards  the  other  gate-house,  where  the  bed  was  all  laid 
bare,  from  the  impression  left  upon  me  by  the  appearance  of  the 
bottom,  it  was  all  sand. 

A.  Well,  sir,  that  was  all  cut  up  by  men  walking  over  it,  and 
in  digging  the  canal  they  spread  the  fresh  sand  many  yards  on 
either  side,  so  that  the  condition  I  describe  you  would  not  find 
without  looking  for  it,  except  as  to  the  little  ditches1  running 
towards  the  centre  of  the  lake. 

Q.  There  could  not  be  a  great  quantity  of  deposit  upon  it,  — 
such  a  deposit  as  that,  for  instance  ? 


8  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

A.  It  was  partially  damp,  and  was  trodden  into  the  sand  by 
several  hundred  men  walking  over  it,  which  made  a  great  deal  of 
difference  in  its  appearance  ;  but  there  were  places  where  they  had 
not  chanced  to  walk.  I  found  this  material  ten  inches  under  the 
surface.  How  could  it  be  otherwise  when  such  quantities  of  mate- 
rial have  been  washed  from  Basin  No.  3,  as  you  must  have  observed  ? 
Has  it  all  gone  to  the  bottom  of  Basin  No.  3  ?  No,  sir  ;  we  find  this 
loam  on  the  bed  of  Farm  pond  and  in  our  tanks  in  Boston.  Farm 
pond  is  not  capable  of  acting  as  a  settling-basin  for  all  the  material. 

Q.  I  should  have  thought  there  would  be  more  from  the 
appearance  of  the  sand  ;  there  did  not  seem  to  me  to  be  any  large 
quantity  deposited  there. 

A.  I  measured  it  with  a  rule.  I  could  take  up  crusts,  as  some 
of  it  was  frozen,  and  under  it  see  the  natural  sand-bed  of  the 
pond.  Farm  pond  must  have  hud  a  hard  bottom  naturally,  other- 
wise the  spongilla  could  not  have  grown  there  ;  and  yet  Mr.  Cutter 
has  stated,  time  and  again,  that  Farm  pond  had  naturally  a  very 
muddy  bottom.  The  spongilla  is  not  found  in  Basin  No.  3  because 
it  has  a  natural  mud-bed. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Do  you  not  think  the  drainage  of  sewage  into 
Farm  pond  has  something  to  do  with  it? 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  Farm  pond  drains  a  very  small  area.  I  do  not 
think  the  drainage  into  it  has  anything  to  do  with  the  trouble. 

Q.    You  would  not  have  anything  drained  into  it? 

A.  No,  sir ;  but  I  do  not  think  there  is  any  cause  for  trouble 
there  of  this  character. 

Q.  Your  idea  is.  then,  that  the  new  basins  were  called  upon  too 
soon,  before  the  Water  Board  intended  they  should  be,  and  that  it 
carries  away  a  great  deal  of  this  organic  matter,  in  solution  ? 

A*    That  is  one  of  the  errors,  I  think,  among  others. 

Q.    That  is  one  of  the  principal  ones? 

A.    It  is  one  of  the  principal  ones,  I  think. 

Q.  But  you  think  it  is  used  as  a  settling-basin,  when  it  should 
not  be? 

A.  No,  sir ;  all  the  basins  should  act  as  settling-basins,  and 
not  throw  the  whole  burden  on  Farm  pond. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH. — Y^ou  remember  the  taste  we  had  Inst  year 
was  due  to  Farm  pond  solely  ? 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  Yes,  sir. 

Q.    And  digging  the  canal  around  it  stopped  that  trouble  ? 

A.  Yes,  sir  ;  but,  as  Mr.  Remsen  said,  Basin  No.  3  smelt  of  the 
pigpen,  and  ought  not  to  be  used.  It  seems  to  me  that,  knowing 
this,  the  Water  Board  neglected  its  duty  in  not  pushing  the  investi- 
gation further,  and  finding  out  if  this  was  not  the  reason  why  spon- 
gilla grew  so  abundantly  in  Farm  pond,  as  Mr.  Remsen  hinted. 

Q.  Then  you  think  the  spongilla  was  the  immediate  cause  ?  It 
has  been  found  that  the  algce  are  generated  from  the  mud-flats. 
What  you  want  the  City  of  Boston  to  do  is  to  take  Basin  No.  3 
and  fix  it,  and  then  you  believe  the  trouble  will  come  to  an  end  ? 

A.  I  think  it  will  take  away  the  nourishment  for  the  sprmgilla. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  You  are  not  referring  to  specific  cases,  but  to  the 
general  character  of  the  water? 


APPENDIX.  9 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  We  are  now  having  a  particular  smell.  Twenty  years  ago 
we  had  a  smell  compared  to  that  of  sardines.  We  have  had  trouble 
time  and  time  again  in  regard  to  the  water  supply.  We  had  it  just 
as  frequently  as  when  we  had  Lake  Cochituate  alone  for  our  supply. 
When  we  took  Sudbury  river  we  understood  we  were  taking  a 
highly-colored  water,  disagreeable  perhaps,  to  look  at,  but  not 
necessarily  dangerous  to  health.  Now,  we  have  that  water ;  but 
superadded  to  it  we  have  what  has  rendered  it  disagreeable  to 
taste,  sight,  and  smell,  and  that  water  holding  this  organic  matter 
in  solution,  —  is  not  that  it? 

A.    Yes,  sir  ;  that  is  it. 

Q.  And  you  have  no  particular  reference  to  the  spongilla,  or  any 
other  impurities? 

A.  No,  sir.  I  cannot  add  anything  to  the  valuable  report  of 
Prof.  Remsen,  on  this  particular  subject.  It  is  only  that  somebody 
neglected  to  go  far  enough  to  show  why  that  trouble  should  exist 
in  Farm  pond.  I  made  a  rough  view  of  that  section  of  Basin  No.  3 
as  I  knew  it  in  the  summer  of  1881  (showing  the  sketch).  Where 
the  banks  are  steep  the  vegetable  mould  has  entirely  washed  away  ; 
the  water  was  drawn  down  to  this  line,  as  near  as  I  could  estimate 
it  relatively,  and  the  sods  were  lodged  along  on  the  flats,  as  indi- 
cated, partially  disintegrated  ;  you  could  see  the  waves  taking  those 
particles  and  carrying  them  away.  Now,  it  does  not  seem  possible 
for  it  to  be  otherwise  than  that  much  should  be  deposited  in 
Farm  pond. 

Q.  You  speak  of  having  been  familiar  with  Farm  pond  in  your 
3routh.  Do  I  understand  that  at  one  time  the  banks  were  largely 
of  the  same  character  as  those  of  Basin  No.  3  now? 

A.  No,  sir,  not  within  the  memory  of  man.  It  is  a  natural 
pond,  with  clean  banks,  or  was  so  until  the  water  of  Basin  No.  3 
was  let  into  it. 

Q.  Is  it  a  fact  that  natural  ponds  always  remain  pure,  particu- 
larly when  the  supply  is  low?  Do  not  the  water-plants  have  some 
influence  when  decaying  in  the  water? 

A.  I  think  they  have  some  influence  ;  but  I  do  not  think  we 
should  have  occasion  to  complain  of  the  city  water  if  the  banks 
were  clean.  I  know  a  little  pond  in  my  native  town  where  I  could 
see  the  bottom  in  many  parts.  Three  years  ago  I  found  algce 
there,  and  tried  to  know  why  the3r  had  appeared.  As  the  result  of 
my  inquiry  I  found  that  on  one  side  the  wood  had  been  cut  off  and 
brush  dumped  into  the  water,  and  I  attributed  the  growth  of  the 
algce  to  the  deca}*  of  that  material. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  —  Have  }TOU  ever  known  algce  to  appear  in  springs  ? 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  I  understand  they  have,  but  I  cannot  say  so  from 
nry  own  knowledge. 

Q.    What  would  you  attribute  them  to  there  ? 

A.    I  think  the  decay  of  leaves  might  be  a  cause. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  — Do  you  not  think  the  algce  would  appear  in 
any  stagnant  water? 

A.  Not  to  such  an  extent  as  to  make  it  so  disgusting  as  our 
supply  is. 


10  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Then  your  remedy  is  to  waste  the  water  in  Basin 
No.  3  and  clean  out  the  basin? 

Dr.  BARNES. — Yes,  sir;  but  I  would  not  waste  tne  water.  It 
was  emptied  last  summer.  One  objection  is,  that  the  City  of  Bos- 
ton has  no  right  to  go  on  there  and  clean  it  out.  But  it  seems 
strange  to  me  that  the  city  cannot  buy  a  right  of  way  to  go  on 
there.  It  was  estimated  that  it  would  cost  $2,000,000  to  concrete 
the  bottom.  That  is  entirely  unnecessary.  I  never  heard  of  such 
a  thing  as  concreting  the  bottom  of  storage-basins,  except  from 
Mr.  Cutter. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Mr.  Bradlee,  is  it  not  a  fact  that  the  basin  named 
after  you  had  been  a  source  of  trouble,  notwithstanding  all  the 
care  and  preparation  in  the  bottom  and  sides,  laying  in  solid 
masonry  to  the  crown-point? 

Mr.  BRADLEE.  —  Yes,  sir. 

Dr.  BARNES.  — That  is  because  it  is  supplied  from  other  sources. 
It  is  not  fair  to  attribute  it  to  that  basin. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  I  should  like  to  ask  the  member  of  the  Water 
Board  a  question.  I  want  to  know,  Mr.  Cutter,  to  what  extent 
Basin  No.  3  was  prepared  ;  how  much  work  was  done  in  excavat- 
ing the  bottom  and  preparing  the  sides,  and  what  is  the  average 
depth  of  the  soil  and  sides?  Or,  perhaps,  the  Engineer  can  answer 
that  question  better. 

Mr.  CUTTER.  —  I  think  the  Engineer  can  answer  it  better. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  — Mr.  Wightman,  will  you  take  the  floor? 

City  Engineer  WIGHTMAN.  —  I  did  not  appear  here  as  a  witness, 
but  simply  as  a  listener. 

Statement  of  H.  M.  WIGHTMAN,  City  Engineer. 

Dr.  BLAKE. — Mr.  Wightman,  I  want  to  know  how  much  work 
was  done  under  }'our  supervision  in  preparing  Basin  No.  3,  and 
removing  loam  and  decayed  wood,  trees,  and  bushes,  etc. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  At  that  time  I  did  not  have  charge  of  that 
work  except  incidentally,  being  the  Assistant  Engineer.  But  the 
shores  of  the  pond  were  stripped  to  the  water-line,  and  some  dis- 
tance below  it.  The  trees  were  cut  off  from  the  bottom,  and  the 
bottom  was  practically  left  as  any  other  flooded  country  would  be. 
That  has  been  the  usual  way  of  preparing  those  basins,  except  dis- 
tributing basins,  which  are  usually  cleaned  out  and  walled  up  with 
stone.  For  instance,  Chestnut-Hill  Reservoir  cost,  with  the  drive- 
way, $1,640,000.  Those  two  basins  are  about  123  J  acres  only,  —  I 
don't  remember  the  exact  number  of  acres.  But  if  you  did  the 
same  amount  of  work  in  the  preparation  of  these  basins,  3^011  can 
see  that  a  million  dollars  would  be  a  pretty  small  amount,  and 
in  preparing  that  kind  of  a  basin  it  has  not  been  customary 
to  spend  that  amount  of  money  on  it.  Of  course  there  is  a 
certain  amount  of  vegetation  in  the  bottom  of  reservoirs,  which 
must,  to  a  certain  extent,  deca}r,  and  a  basin  should  not  be 
used  for  two  or  three  years  after  it  is  filled.  But  it  is  not  con- 
sidered among  engineers  that  the  advantage  of  increased  purity  of 
water  to  be  derived  from  the  taking  out  of  the  bottoms  of  reservoirs 


APPENDIX.  11 

is  sufficient.  The  vegetation  in  the  bottom  was  burned  before  the 
basin  was  flooded.  All  the  vegetation  was  got  into  piles  and 
burned,  and  after  that  it  was  flooded.  That  is  all  that  was  done 
to  it. 

Q.    What  was  done  in  addition  to  that  in  Basin  No.  2  ? 

A.    Nothing ;  just  the  same  thing  there. 

Q.  So  the  basins  are  substantially  the  same,  and  the  land  was 
substantially  the  same  in  character  ? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.    It  had  been  used  for  farming  and  agricultural  purposes  ? 

A.  Yes,  sir.  In  Basin  No.  3  the  mud-line  was  six  to  eight  feet 
deep,  and  in  Basin  2  it  was  eight  to  ten  feet  deep.  I  have  plans 
in  my  office  showing  the  character  of  the  soil.  We  contemplate 
moving  a  part  of  the  loam  for  the  Park  Commissioners  for  the 
new  park. 

Dr.  BARNKS.  — Is  not  the  new  basin,  No.  4,  being  cleaned  of 
the  vegetable  matter? 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  Yes,  sir,  the  surface  of  it  is  being  cleaned. 

Q.  Then  why  is  it  necessary  to  clean  that,  it  being  a  storage- 
basin,  when  you  do  not  think  it  necessary  to  clean  Basin  3? 

A.    I  believe  I  did  not  give  an  opinion  about  the  necessity  for  it. 

Q.    Somebody  deems  it  necessary? 

A.  The  Park  Commissioners  want  about  100,000  loads  of  loam, 
and  we  are  taking  it  out. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  I  can  tell  you  about  that.  Somebody  got 
up  in  the  Council — I  believe  it  was  Mr.  Whitmore,  of  Ward  12 
—  and  wanted  to  know  what  it  would  cost  to  take  the  loam  off,  and 
was  told  it  would  cost  about  $40,000  ;  and  Mr.  Whitmore  said  he 
would  like  to  have  the  amount  put  in  for  that  purpose  ;  and  it  was 
put  in. 

Mr.  BARNES.  —  I  should  like  to  know  why  its  estimated  cost  is 
only  $40,000  when  it  is  estimated  that  a  million  dollars  will  go 
but  a  little  way  in  cleaning  other  basins. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  It  was  put  in  by  the  City  Council ;  but  it  did 
not  come  in  recommended  by  the  Water  Board  or  the  City  Engi- 
neer. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  I  made  an  estimate  of  the  amount  of  loam 
we  could  take  out  of  Basin  No.  4  which  would  be  necessary  for  park 
purposes.  I  made  that  statement  when  the  estimate  was  made, 
and  I  calculated  that  the  Park  Commissioners  would  pay  for  it. 
Of  course,  as  the  City  Council  made  this  appropriation  of  $40,000r 
so  far  as  that  amount  goes  it  will  be  used,  and  the  rest  will  be  paid 
by  the  Park  Commissioners. 

Q.   All  you  are  talking  about  is  the  surface  ? 

A.  Yes,  sir.  If  we  should  take  out  all  the  loam,  allowing  that 
we  took  out  500,000  yards,  at  the  very  smallest  sum,  fifty  to  sev- 
enty-five cents  per  yard,  it  would  cost  $250,000. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Has  it  no  value  as  a  fertilizer? 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  — None  at  all.  It  would  cost  $250,000  to  take 
it  out,  and  the  whole  cost  of  the  basin  is  $394,000,  I  think. 

Q.  Is  the  average  depth  of  the  water  in  Basin  No.  3  less  than  in 
any  other  basin  ? 


12  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

A.   No,  sir ;  it  is  more.     It  is  the  deepest  basin  we  have. 

Q.  Was  it  drawn  upon  more  than  any  other  basin^  during  the 
past  summer? 

A.  No,  we  always  draw  from  Basin  No.  2,  because  it  is  on  the 
main  river,  and  because  it  fills  the  quickest.  We  have  been  draw- 
ing from  Basin  No.  3,  I  should  think,  about  two  months  and  more. 

Q.  Had  you  the  same  amount  of  margin  exposed  in  Basin  No.  2 
as  in  Basin  No  3  ? 

A.  The  whole  bottom  of  Basin  No.  2  was  practically  empty, 
you  know.  I  believe  I  have  seen  Mr.  Nevins'  teams  taking  mud 
from  the  bottom.  I  suppose  he  thought  it  was  some  value  to  him. 
I  noticed  that  the  bottom  was  practically  dry.  I  guess  I  have 
seen  twenty  or  thirty  teams  there. 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  Were  there  an}*  mud  flats  to  be  exposed  in  draw- 
ing from  Basin  No.  2  ? 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  — If  you  draw  it  down  it  is  all  mud  flats. 

Q.    If  you  draw  five  or  six  feet,  would  there  be  any? 

A.  I  do  not  know.  I  could  not  tell  you  without  looking  at  the 
plan. 

Q.  Then,  if  you  draw  down  Basin  No.  3,  what  would  be  the 
effect? 

A.  I  do  not  think  we  would  draw  down  more  flats  than  in  Basin 
No.  2,  in  proportion  to  the  area  of  the  basin.  The  area  of  Basin 
No.  2  is  considerably  less  than  in  Basin  No.  3.  Basins  No.  2  and  1 
contain  more  shallow  flowage  than  any  other  basins.  In  propor- 
tion to  their  areas  they  have  the  largest  shallow  flowage. 

Q.  Are  not  the  banks  of  Basin  No.  2  steeper  than  those  of 
Basin  No.  3  ? 

A.   I  do  not  think  the  average  to  be. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Dr.  Barnes,  are  you  pretty  familiar  with  that 
country  ? 

Dr.  BARNES. —  I  have  lived  there,  and  know  something  about  it. 

Q.  Were  you  familiar  with  the  site  of  Basin  No.  3  before  it  was 
used  for  storage  purposes  ? 

A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.    Did  it  differ  materially  from  Basin  No.  2? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.    In  what  respects  ? 

A.  In  the  steepness  of  its  banks  and  shallow  flowage,  particularly 
north  of  the  Old  Colony  Railroad.  On  the  side  of  the  railroad  the 
water  is  much  deeper,  and  that  is  the  reason  Mr.  Wightman  is 
able  to  make  such  a  statement  about  the  average  as  compared 
with  the  others.  On  the  north  side  of  the  railroad  there  are  those 
mud  flats,  which  have  emitted  such  offensive  odors,  —  not  so  bad, 
perhaps,  this  summer ;  for  it  has  been  treated  differently  than  in 
the  summer  of  1881,  when,  on  account  of  the  limited  amount  of 
water  flowing  in  Stony  brook,  it  was  laid  bare  early  in  the  season. 
At  that  time  the  citizens  of  Framingham  complained  of  the  bad 
odors,  which  Mr.  Remsen  said  was  the  smell  of  the  pigpen. 

Q.  Have  you  any  experience  as  to  the  methods  of  purification 
of  water?  Do  you  believe  in  any  of  the  systems  of  filtering? 

A.    Well,  sir,  I  observed  something  at  Basin  No.  3  which  might 


APPENDIX.  13 

possibty  be  utilized  ;  I  speak  of  it  only  as  a  suggestion.  The  dam 
of  Basin  No.  3  is  laid  on  a  quicksand  ;  and,  in  consequence  of  that, 
there  is  a  leak,  which  I  have  seen  estimated  at  half  a  million  gallons 
a  day.  The  water  coming  from  the  basin  under  the  dam  is  perfectly 
clear,  and  the  man  at  the  gate-house  said  it  was  always  good  in  taste. 
While  on  the  other  side,  in  the  basin,  the  water  was  perfectly  filthy, 
and  had  these  offensive  smells  coming  up  through  the  gate-house. 
It  is  a  question  whether  that  quicksand  is  not  acting  satisfactorily 
as  a  filter.  The  water  had  not  the  color,  smell,  and  taste  which 
the  disgusting  water  on  the  other  side  had. 

There  is  one  matter  I  have  omitted.  I  have  looked  in  vain  for 
the  report  of  the  Water  Board,  which  ought  to  have  been  presented 
last  Ma3r,  that  I  might  know  what  disposition  was  made  of  the 
water  of  Farm  pond,  when  Mr.  Remson  recommended  it  should  be 
wasted ;  and,  if  it  be  proper,  I  should  like  to  ask  the  members  of 
the  Water  Board  that  question. 

Mr.  CUTTER.  —  The  water  was  drawn  into  Chestnut-Hill  Reser- 
voir so  far  as  it  would  hold  it,  and  the  rest  was  wasted  in  the 
waste-weirs  on  the  conduit. 

Dr.  BARNES.  — How  many  of  these  waste  places  were  open? 

Mr.  CUTTER.  —  I  do  not  know  as  I  can  say.  Perhaps  Mr. 
Wightman  can  tell  you  that.  The  Water  Board  authorized  the 
Engineer  to  draw  the  water  down  and  construct  that  canal. 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  I  ask  this  question  in  order  that  we  may  have 
some  official  utterance  as  to  what  became  of  it.  You  know  the 
citizens  of  Boston  were  informed  that  the  water  was  stored  in 
Chestnut-Hill  Reservoir,  and  purified  there.  There  is  another 
report  that  it  was  wasted  in  another  direction,  and,  in  consequence 
of  the  possible  complaint  of  a  certain  city,  the  Water  Board  kept 
this  matter  a  secret.  I  visited  Farm  pond  several  times  while  it 
was  being  drawn  off.  Dug  meadow  (a  part  of  Lake  Cochituate) 
was  entirely  empty  when  the}'  began  to  draw  down  Farm  pond. 
During  the  two  weeks  required  to  draw  it  off  this  meadow  was 
entirely  filled,  and  there  was  no  material  amount  of  rain  to  fill  it. 
Mr.  Lewis  and  myself  were  entire^  of  the  conviction  that  the 
water  of  Farm  pond  was  filling  the  meadow,  and  had  conversation 
to  this  effect  at  the  time.  But  not  being  satisfied  with  that  evi- 
dence I  walked  over  the  conduit  (from  South  Framingham  to 
Natick) ,  and  came  across  a  farmer,  who  stated,  in  the  presence  of  a 
witness,  that  the  gates  were  open  on  the  new  conduit,  and  the 
water  of  Farm  pond  went  into  Lake  Cochituate,  and  was  mixed 
with  that  water. 

Mr.  CUTTER.  —  I  do  not  think  the  Water  Board  would  take  that 
water  and  turn  it  into  Lake  Cochituate.  Not  one  particle  of  it 
went  into  it. 

Q.  Then  tell  me  how  Dug  meadow  was  filled  to  overflowing 
within  those  two  weeks? 

A.  We  have  a  horse-shoe  dam  there,  and  we  keep  the  water 
flowing  over  it. 

Q.  There  was  not  any  amount  of  water  in  this  basin  previous 
to  the  drawing  down  of  Farm  pond? 

A.  I  was  there  at  the  time,  and  1  can  tell  you  that  none  of  the 
Farm-pond  water  went  into  Lake  Cochituate. 


14  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

Q.  Can  you  tell  me  what  became  of  the  waste  water  of  Farm 
pond? 

A.   I  cannot  tell  you  that. 

Q.  I  can  produce  a  witness, —  Mr.  Lewis,  —  who  is  willing  to  tes- 
tify to  you  that  this  meadow  was  filled  in  two  weeks.  Besides  there 
is  another  man  who  said  he  saw  the  gates  open,  and  saw  the  water 
running  there.  It  seems  to  me  it  is  an  important  matter  for  the 
Commission  to  inquire  into.  Mr.  Lewis  has  authorized  me  to  use 
his  name 

A.    What  Mr.  Lewis  is  this? 

Q.  I  do  not  know  his  first  name.  I  will  give  it  to  the  Com- 
mission, and  I  will  give  them  the  name  of  the  farmer.  This  farmer 
made  the  statement  in  the  presence  of  a  reporter  of  one  of  the 
Boston  newspapers.  Several  other  gentlemen  on  the  Albany 
Railroad  observed  this  same  thing ;  but  I  cannot  point  them  out  to 
you,  or  get  them  to  come  here. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Have  you  any  remed}r  to  suggest?  Here  we  have 
a  water  supply,  with  a  rapidly  growing  demand,  having  sources  of 
pollution.  The  demand  is  for  an  increased  supply.  Have  you 
any  suggestions  ? 

Dr.  BARNES.  — Yes,  sir;  there  have  been  opportunities  offered 
to  do  a  considerable  amount  of  work  on  Basins  Nos.  2  and  3,  clean- 
ing out  the  shallow  portions  of  those  flats  which  smell  so  badly  in 
hot  weather.  It  seems  to  me  there  have  been  good  opportunities 
for  inexpensive  work,  and  that  much  could  be  accomplished  in 
correcting  our  difficulties. 

Q.  That  is,  on  the  general  subject  of  the  unpleasant  character 
of  the  water?  For  special  unpleasantness  we  shall  have  to  seek 
for  special  remedies. 

A.  Yes,  sir  ;  I  think  the  drainage  of  Natick  into  Pegan  meadow 
must  operate  as  an  objectionable  feature,  although  Mr.  Remsen 
found  the  water  in  the  main  lake  in  good  enough  condition.  Prof. 
Edes,  of  New  Jersey,  who  examined  the  supply  pretty  patiently 
one  year  ago,  said  he  should  consider  it  a  misfortune  for  all  the 
blame  to  be  laid  to  the  spongilla,  as  he  found  it  abounding  in 
organic  matter  seventy  per  cent,  above  the  limit  of  health. 

Q.    I  guess  his  estimate  was  a  little  wild. 

A.  No,  sir ;  from  Mr.  Remsen's  estimate  of  the  organic  mat- 
ter in  some  of  this  water  I  do  not  think  his  estimate  was  wild.  I 
believe  that  0.15  parts  of  albuminoid  ammonia  per  million  should 
condemn  a  water  absolutely,  and  Mr.  Remsen's  analysis  showed 
that  Farm  pond  had  0.404  ;  Basin  No.  2,  0.29  ;  Basin  No.  1, 
0.34  ;  Basin  No.  3,  0.54  ;  Pegan  meadows,  0.63. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Mr.  Wightman,  I  suppose  you  are  more 
familiar  with  the  running  off  of  that  water  than  the  Water  Board 
are? 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  I  suppose  I  am.  It  was  drawn  off  under  my 
direction.  The  Chestnut-Hill  Reservoir  was  filled  with  it,  and  not 
one  drop  went  into  Lake  Cochituate,  nor  was  the  waste-gate  open 
at  any  time. 

Q.    What  was  this  meadow? 

A.    I  do  not  know  what  he  means  by  this  meadow.     In  the  part 


APPENDIX.  15 

between  the  central  turnpike  and  what  is  called  Spear  street,  some 
three  years  ago,  we  put  in  a  dam  so  as  to  keep  those  meadows 
flooded,  and  at  the  same  time  we  put  in  that  dam  at  the  Natick 
meadows  at  the  mouth  of  Pegan  brook,  and  from  that  day  to  this 
the  water  has  never  been  drawn  off  from  those  meadows.  Even 
when  we  were  short  of  water,  when  we  were  trying  so  hard  to  give 
the  citizens  of  Boston  pure  water,  during  the  period  of  bad  water, 
Tasked  Mr.  Remsen  if  he  thought  it  would  be  safe  to  let  that 
water  on  ;  and  he  said  I  had  better  keep  it  out.  There  never  has 
been  a  drop  of  that  water  run  in  there,  except  simply  what  was 
kept  there  by  the  dam. 

Q.    It  was  not? 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  I  know  it  did  not.  In  spite  of  the  testimony 
of  the  farmer  and  anybody  else  that  saw  it,  — and  I  do  not  take  the 
intelligent  farmer's  testimony,  —  I  do  not  think  anybody  saw  it. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Can  you  give  me  an  estimate  of  the  number  of 
gallons  of  sewage  that  run  into  Pegan  brook  daily? 

A.  No,  sir,  I  could  not.  Of  course  there  is  only  a  small  por- 
tion of  the  town  of  Natick  that  drains  into  it ;  but  just  what  the 
proportion  is  I  cannot  tell  you. 

Q.    It  must  be  many  thousand  gallons? 

A.  Not  so  many  thousand.  The  brook  always  carries  much 
water.  Sometimes  after  a  rainfall  it  would  run  a  million  to  a  mil- 
lion and  a  half  gallons  a  day.  But  in  a  low  rainfall  there  is  com- 
paratively nothing  runs  into  it,  and  in  such  times  there  would 
perhaps  two-thirds  or  half  of  what  was  running  be  sewage.  I  do 
not  think  it  could  be  a  hundred  thousand  gallons  a  day.  It  may 
be  anywhere  from  one  to  three  hundred  thousand  gallons  a  day  of 
contaminated  water,  and  the  probabilities  are  that  not  over  half  of 
the  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  gallons  a  day  would  be  sewage. 

Q.  But  you  think  150,000  gallons  of  sewage  run  from  Pegan 
brook  into  Lake  Cochituate  daily? 

A.    I  should  not  want  to  say  that. 

Q.    That  is  what  you  said. 

A.    I  said  perhaps  it  might. 

Q.  I  suppose  there  was  a  million  gallons  a  day  the  day  we  were 
there. 

A.  I  said  the  day  you  were  there  it  might  be  half  a  million  to 
three-quarters  of  a  million  gallons  running  into  the  brook  that  da}'. 
You  saw  that  the  water  was  quite  highly  colored. 

Q.  Yes,  and  annoyingly  offensive.  It  is  a  smell  that  is  in  har- 
mony with  the  contents  of  the  brook. 

A.  I  should  not  want  to  give  you  an  opinion  without  looking  up 
the  facts.  They  are  out  of  my  mind,  and  this  is  making  a  rather 
random  statement. 

Q.  I  am  more  concerned  about  the  healthfulness  of  this  water 
supply.  I  cannot  see  how  any  authority  will  submit  to  the  drain- 
age of  the  towns  Natick,  Framingham,  and  Westboro'  into  its  water  • 
supply.  There  are  three  sources  of  pollution  which  are  dangerous 
to  health.  Although  Prof.  Remsen  may  sa^y  the  water  is  all  right 
in  the  city,  it  is  not  by  any  means  conclusive  that  it  is  free  from 
danger.  I  think  that,  under  certain  circumstances  and  in  certain 


16  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

seasons,  it  is  inevitable.     But  we  are  to  avert  the  possible  dan- 
gers.    I  want  an  estimate  of  this. 

A.  I  shall  be  happy  to  furnish  the  Commission  with  an  estimate. 
That  matter  has  been  looked  into  once,  but  I  do  not  think  there  has 
been  an  estimate  made  of  the  quantity.  The  number  and  causes  of 
pollution  have  been  looked  up,  but  nothing  said  about  quantity. 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  Will  Mr.  Wightman  state  to  the  Commission 
what  became  of  that  water  ? 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  The  Commissioners  know  what  I  did  with  the 
water,  and  I  decline  to  state  it. 

Q.  Then  it  becomes  a  question  of  veracity  between  Mr.  Wight- 
man and  myself? 

A.  I  do  not  see  what  that  has  got  to  do  with  it.  That  is  hardly 
a  question  of  veracity.  It  is  something  you  do  not  know  anything 
about,  and  I  do. 

Q.  There  are  gentlemen  who  saw  the  water  running  in  there, 
and  I  saw  the  meadow  fill  during  the  time  Farm  pond  was  being 
drawn  down. 

A.  I  should  like  to  have  you  produce  them,  and  put  them  under 
oath. 

Q.    I  will  take  the  oath  myself. 

A.   I  have  no  doubt  you  would. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Dr.  Barnes,  do  you  know  anything  about  the  ra- 
pidity of  the  growth  of  the  spongilla  f 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  No,  sir,  I  do  not.     I  refer  you  to  Prof.  Hyatt. 

Q.  I  onty  want  to  know  whether,  by  the  canning  of  the  germs 
into  these  meadows,  it  would  grow  sufficient!}7  to  become  offensive 
in  a  year? 

A.  It  was  reported  early  this  year  that  the  spongilla  had  appeared 
at  the  old  conduit  from  Lake  Cochituate ;  and,  knowing  this,  I 
attribute  its  presence  there  at  that  time  to  the  carrying  of  the  egg 
into  the  lake. 

Q.    What  time  of  the  year  was  Farm  pond  drawn  off? 

A.  I  think  it  was  the  last  of  November.  I  have  not  the  exact 
dates. 

Q.    When  did  Prof.  Remsen  make  his  investigation? 

A.    About  that  time. 

Q.   During  that  time  the  spongilla  was  found  in  the  old  conduit? 

A.  No,  sir.  Prof.  Remsen  went  home  and  telegraphed  to  Bos- 
ton to  waste  the  water  of  Farm  pond,  which  I  claim  went  into 
Lake  Cochituate.  The  spongilla  was  reported  to  have  made  its 
appearance  in  Lake  Cochituate  in  the  following  Januaiy. 

Q.  Would  it  be  likely  to  grow  in  cold  weather  to  the  extent  or 
amount  it  was  found  in  the  old  conduit? 

A.  I  cannot  say  as  to  that.  I  only  offer  that  as  a  suggestion. 
The  new  conduit  was  found  lined  with  this  material  last  June  or 
July,  or  about  that  time,  so  that  about  one  hundred  men  were  em- 
ployed to  scrape  that  material  off,  and  men  told  me  it  smelt  terribly. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  There  is  one  statement  the  doctor  made 
about  the  taste  of  Lake  Cochituate ;  long  before  Farm  pond  had 
been  shut  off,  Lake  Cochituate  had  been  shut  off  because  it  had  a 
bad  taste  in  it,  and  the  Water-Board  records  will  show  it. 


APPENDIX.  17 

The  CHAIRMAN.  —  Has  any  other  gentleman  here  any  further  in- 
formation to  give  the  Commission  on  this  subject? 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  The  parties  who  have  the  water  in  charge,  where 
Farm-pond  water  is  said  to  have  gone,  state  that  it  is  perfectly 
ridiculous  to  say  it  run  into  that  source ;  and  that  it  is  no  such 
thing,  for  they  would  not  dare  do  such  a  thing  as  that,  and  pollute 
the  water  of  another  city. 

Mr.  BRADLEE. — Where  do  you  suppose  it  was  stated  to  us  it 
did  go? 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  I  think  I  know  of  that  matter,  in  view  of  it  hav- 
ing been  told  me  by  two  or  three  ;  and  if  you  wish  to  know  I  should 
prefer  to  state  it  privately,  because  it  is  a  matter  that  perhaps 
ought  not  to  go  into  the  public  prints.  I  presume  it  is  the  same 
information  you  have  as  to  where  it  did  go.  I  am  speaking  of 
the  waste  water  from  Farm  pond. 

Mr.  BRADLEE.  —  Do  the  Water  Board  object  to  his  stating  where 
it  went? 

Mr.  CUTTER.  —  No,  sir. 

Dr.  BARNES.  — Well,  it  was  stated  to  me  by  two  parties  in  the 
City  Government  that  it  was  wasted  chiefly  into  Charles  river  ;  and 
it  was  kept  secret  at  the  time  on  account  of  the  city  of  Newton 
taking  its  suppty  below  the  point  of  waste.  The}'  were  afraid  the 
citizens  of  Newton  would  complain  of  it.  Now,  from  the  engineer 
of  Newton  I  hear  that  it  is  perfectly  ridiculous  to  state  that  it  went 
there.  I  wanted  to  get  from  the  Water  Board  where  it  did  go ; 
but  not  having  an  official  report  from  them  it  seemed  proper  to 
make  the  inquiry  here. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  — What  is  the  name  of  the  engineer  of  the  city 
of  Newton  ? 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  I  do  not  know.     I  will  get  you  his  name. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH. — What  connection  has  that  with  this  matter? 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  The  only  connection  it  has  is  to  ascertain  whether 
the  City  Government  have  been  deceived  about  that  matter. 

Dr.  BLAKE. — Were  }*ou  aware  that  Lake  Cochituate  was  shut 
off  for  two  or  three  months  ? 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  I  was  aware  of  it,  but  I  do  not  think  it  has  any- 
thing to  do  with  the  subject.  The  Water  Board  made  a  statement 
that  they  found  spongilla  in  the  lake,  and  were  going  to  shut  it  off 
about  the  first  of  January  last. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  The  spongilla  had  been  there  before  this 
water  was  shut  off? 

Dr.  BARNES.  — But  you  used  it  from  November  to  January,  and 
up  to  that  time  it  was  good,  as  Mr.  Remsen's  report  shows. 

Q.  But  before  that  it  had  been  shut  off  on  account  of  the  fishy 
taste? 

A.  What  I  claim  is,  that  between  the  time  Farm  pond  was  drawn 
off  and  January  the  water  in  Lake  Cochituate  was  used,  and  at  that 
time  the  egg  of  the  spongilla  was  being  carried  from  Farm 
pond  to  the  old  conduit.  Mr.  Cutter's  statement  that  it  has  not 
been  shut  off  for  five  months  is  not  relative  to  the  matter  at  all. 

The  CHAIRMAN.  —  Is  there  any  other  testimony  you  would  like 
to  bring  before  the  Commission? 


18  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.   129. 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  No,  sir.  If  you  think  it  desirable  to  go  into 
those  matters  I  can  give  you  the  names  of  those  gentlemen.  I 
think  there  is  no  positive  evidence  of  the  Natick  sewage  vitiating 
the  main  part  of  Lake  Cochituate,  although  I  object  to  it  as  much 
as  any  man. 

Mr.  SHEPARD. —  I  should  think  the  doctor  could  give  us  the 
names  of  the  parties. 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  I  will  send  }'ou  the  names  of  the  farmer  and  the 
representative  of  the  newspaper.  There  is  also  Mr.  Lewis.  I  am 
willing  to  swear  the  bottom  of  Dug  meadow  was  laid  bare  previous 
to  the  emptying  of  Farm  pond. 

Mr.  CUTTER. — You  say  the  germ  of  the  spongilla  in  the  old 
conduit  was  produced  by  letting  the  Farm-pond  water  into  Lake 
Cochituate? 

Dr.  BARNES.  — No,  sir  ;  I  say  it  is  a  suggestion  worth  inquiring 
into  by  the  Commission. 

Q.  I  should  like  to  ask  you  how  long  it  takes  the  spongilla  to 
grow.  The  facts  of  the  case  are  that  the  spongilla  has  been  grow- 
ing in  the  old  conduit  for  many  3Tears,  and  we  did  not  know  what 
it  was  until  Prof.  Remsen  told  us.  Then  we  shut  off  the  old  con- 
duit and  cleaned  out  this  spongilla  and  found  nearly  a  bushel-bas- 
ketful for  every  square  yard. 

A.  I  think  that  before  you  were  a  member  of  the  Water  Board 
the  spongilla  had  been  found  in  the  water. 

Q.  I  beg  pardon  ;  we  have  cleaned  out  the  conduit  ever}*  year, 
but  during  the  construction  of  the  new  supply  the  old  conduit  was 
not  cleaned  out,  on  account  of  the  pressure  upon  it. 

A.  I  know  Mr.  Wiggin  reported,  in  1872  or  '73,  that  the 
wall  of  the  old  conduit  was  lined  with  a  substance  resembling 
sponge.  Of  course  you  know  better  than  I  do  about  how  many 
times  we  have  had  trouble,  and  about  how  often  it  has  appeared 
there. 

Adjourned  to  Monday  next,  9th  inst.,  at  10  A.M. 


SECOND  HEARING. 

MONDAY,  Oct.  9,  1882. 

The  Commission  met  at  10  A.M.  '  All  present  except  Mr. 
Greenough. 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  Before  the  hearing  begins  I  should  like  to  correct 
a  little  of  my  testimony  at  the  previous  meeting  as  to  the  engineer's 
statement  at  Newton.  I  was  misinformed  by  a  second  party 
—  the  engineer.  Instead  of  saying,  as  I  testified,  that  it  was 
impossible  for  the  Boston  water  to  go  into  Charles  river,  he  said  it 
was  impossible  to  vitiate  the  water  by  so  doing,  in  consequence  of 
a  large  embankment  separating  the  river  from  the  basin,  and  he 
might  not  have  known  of  it  if  the  water  had  gone  that  way. 


APPENDIX.  19 

In  relation  to  the  testimony  of  Mr.  Reed,  he  made  a  statement 
to  me  about  a  year  ago,  and  it  was  not  the  water-tank  that  was 
plugged,  but  his  main  supply-pipe  ;  and  he  found  it  filled  with  a 
sediment  caught  by  a  filter,  and  was  obliged  to  take  the  filter  off. 

I  have  asked  some  gentlemen  to  come  here  this  morning,  and 
quite  a  number  said  they  would  be  present.  Mr.  Lewis,  to  whom 
I  referred  at  a  previous  meeting,  has  made  his  appearance,  and 
I  should  like  to  ask  him  to  give  such  evidence  before  your  Com- 
mission as  he  may  be  possessed  of. 

City  Engineer  WIGHTMAN.  —  Before  this  hearing  goes  on  I 
wish  to  make  one  correction.  I  told  the  Commission  the 
basins  were  stripped  around  the  edges.  I  was  not  in  charge  of  the 
work  at  the  time  it  was  done.  Mr.  Davis  had  charge  of  it.  They 
did  strip  a  piece  of  it,  as  I  said,  but  after  that  the  edges  were  not 
stripped.  I  wish  to  make  a  correction  of  that  statement.  They 
were  none  of  them  stripped  except  Basin  No.  1.  That  was  more 
or  less  taken  off  by  parties  who  wanted  the  loam  ;  but  there  was  no 
systematic  stripping  of  the  pond  as  the  work  was  originally  laid 
out  to  be  done. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  — Why  was  that  omitted? 

A.  I  cannot  give  you  the  information.  Probably  the  reason 
was  that  they  needed  the  water  so  badly  they  could  not  stop  to  do 
the  work. 

Q.   Could  it  be  done  now  ? 

A.  Yes,  sir  ;  whenever  the  basins  are  drawn  down.  But  nature 
has  done  that. 

STATEMENT  OF  WILLIAM  G.  LEWIS. 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  You  reside  in  Framingham  ? 

Mr.  LEWIS.  —  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  long  have  you  resided  there?     • 

A.   Thirty-two  years. 

Q.   Familiar  with  the  waterworks  about  there? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.    Ride  over  the  Albany  Railroad? 

A.   Yes,  sir  ;  every  day. 

Q.  Were  3^ou  riding  about  there  during  the  period  of  the  draw- 
ing off  of  Farm  pond  last  year? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Were  you  familiar  with  the  condition  of  Dug  meadow  pre- 
vious to  the  drawing  off  of  the  pond  ? 

A.   I  was. 

Q.   What  was  the  condition  of  the  basin  ? 

A.  The  water  from  Farm  pond  run  through  the  conduit  in  the 
edge  of  Sherburne,  down  into  Lake  Cochituate,  through  Dug 
meadow. 

Q.   Do  }'ou  remember  a  conversation  with  me  at  that  time? 

A.   I  do,  sir. 

Q.  Do  you  remember  as  to  our  observing  what  the  condition  of 
Farm  pond  was  before  the  water  began  to  be  used  by  the  city? 

A.   It  was  good  water,  —  better  than  Lake  Cochituate,  I  thought. 


20  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

Q.  Was  there  much  water  in  Dug  meadow  before  the  water  be- 
gan to  run  there?  ^ 

A.  There  was  not  much  water  in  Dug  meadow  previous  to 
drawing  off  Farm  pond. 

Q.  During  the  period  that  it  required  to  draw  off  the  pond 
(about  two  weeks)  did  it  fill  and  overflow  the  horse-shoe  dam  ? 

A.   Yes,  sir  ;  it  filled  from  some  source. 

Q.    Do  you  remember  a  discussion  with  me  about  that  time  ? 

A.   I  do. 

Q.   Was  that  practical!}7  the  discussion  ? 

A.  I  think  I  told  you  I  had  seen  the  flow  of  the  water  running 
through  from  the  conduit  from  the  Hayes  place,  through  that 
meadow.  It  ran  down  the  full  stream. 

Mr.  BRADLEE.  —  Could  you  give  the  dates? 

A.  No  ;  I  could  not,  sir.  I  only  know  it  was  at  the  time  Farm 
pond  was  being  emptied. 

Q.    What  means  have  you  of  fixing  the  date? 

A.  None  whatever  ;  only  the  time  it  was  drawn  for  the  purpose 
of  canying  the  spongy  water  and  filth  out  of  the  pond,  as  I  under- 
stood afterwards.  They  dug  a  ditch  on  the  west  side  of  Farm 
pond,  and  let  the  water  run  down  that  way  after  the}"  emptied  it.  I 
think  it  was  last  year.  Time  passes  so  quickly  ;  but  I  am  sure  it  was. 

Q.   But  you  have  no  means  of  fixing  the  exact  date? 

A.   No,  sir. 

Q.  Are  you  certain  it  was  filled  during  the  period  of  drawing 
off  Farm  pond  ? 

A.    I  should  say  certainly  it  was. 

Dr.  BARNES.  — That  was  the  time  of  our  conversation? 

A.  That  was  the  time  my  attention  was  directed  to  it.  We  had 
some  conversation,  and  I  told  you  what  was  the  status  of  the  case. 
I  saw  the  water  running  in  there,  and  the  pond  being  filled  up. 

Q.  Do  you  know  anything  about  the  condition  of  Basin  No.  3 
for  the  past  two  years  ? 

A.    I  do,  sir. 

Q.    Has  it  been  offensive  ? 

A.   It  has  been  very  filthy  and  offensive  all  the  hot  weather. 

Q.    Do  your  cows  pasture  in  the  vicinity  of  it? 

A.   They  do. 

Q.    Do  they  drink  the  water  ? 

A.  Where  they  have  immediate  access  is  in  Basin  No.  1  ;  but  the 
other  basin,  No.  3,  is  just  above  there.  The  stench  comes  down 
just  below  my  house. 

Q.  Have  there  been  complaints  in  Framingham  about  the 
stench  ? 

A.  Yes,  sir  ;  so  much  so  we  drove  around  to  avoid  it.  We  went 
around  north-westerly,  and  when  we  turned  around  by  the  turnpike 
we  found  it  about  the  place  of  Ellis. 

Q.  Were  you  there  at  the  time  of  the  construction  of  Basin 
No.  3? 

A.   I  was. 

Q.  How  much  work  was  done  upon  the  banks  by  way  of  clean- 
ing them? 


APPENDIX.  21 

A.  The  south-easterly  part,  where  the  gate-house  is,  and  from 
the  Boston  and  Worcester  turnpike,  extending  southerly  around  to 
Mr.  Homer's  place,  some  of  the  material  was  taken  away ;  but  on 
the  northern  and  north-western  side  none  of  it  was  touched  at 
all.  The  same  surface  is  there  now  that  was  then,  to  all  intents 
and  purposes. 

Q.    Is  there  anything  there  now  ? 

A.   There  is  filth  there  now  where  the  basin  is  not  filled  up. 

Q.  Is  it  offensive  to  the  smell,  or  has  it  been  during  the  past 
season  ? 

A.    It  has  ;  very  much  so. 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  I  think  that  is  all  I  wish  to  ask  Mr.  Lewis.  I 
had  intended  to  question  him  further  in  regard  to  the  stripping  of 
those  basins  ;  but,  as  Mr.  Wightman  has  withdrawn  his  first  state- 
ment, that  is  not  necessary. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  You  are  quite  positive  the  water  from  Farm  pond 
went  into  Dug  meadow  ? 

Mr.  LEWIS.  — Yes,  sir  ;  I  know  it. 

Q.    How  do  you  know  it? 

A.  I  was  interested,  but  not  pecuniarily,  in  the  progress  of  a 
suit  against  the  city  by  the  Hayes  place,  and  I  passed  by  there 
and  saw  it,  and  absolutely  saw  the  water  running  in  there,  —  a 
very  large  stream.  The  time  I  saw  it  I  think  was  Sundaj". 

Q.   That  was  the  only  one  time  ? 

A.    I  cannot  fix  the  time. 

Mr.  BRADLEE.  —  Do  you  know  where  the  connection  between 
Sudbury  river  and  Farm  pond  is? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.    Can  you  tell  us  where  it  is? 

A.  If  the  man's  name  is  Hayes,  in  Sherburne,  the  conduit 
passes  through  his  place,  and  just  before  you  pass  his  place  south- 
westerly on  the  conduit  is  a  structure.  I  think  it  is  the  gate-house, 
or  vent,  or  something  or  another,  —  a  small  thing.  It  is  beyond 
the  Women's  Prison,  just  before  you  turn  off  the  road. 

Q.    That  conduit  to  Dug  meadow  ? 

A.  Yes,  sir  ;  it  runs  through  there.  Dug  meadow  and  Cochituate 
are  virtual^  one  thing.  If  the  water  goes  from  Dug  meadow  first  it 
goes  to  Cochituate  ;  but  it  doesn't  run  from  Cochituate  to  Dug 
pond,  because  that  is  practical!}-  higher. 

Mr.  BRADLEE.  —  Mr.  Wightman,  has  the  entrance  to  the  lake 
been  altered  since  I  was  on  the  Board  ? 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  No,  sir. 

Mr.  BRADLEE.  —  I  wish  you  would  state  to  my  associates  here 
the  connection. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  There  is  no  connection  between  Sudbury 
river  and  Dug  pond. 

Mr.  LEWIS.  —  1  don't  say  there  was.  Farm  pond  entered  the 
new  conduit,  and  the  conduit  entered  into  Lake  Cochituate  by  this 
Mr.  Hayes'  place.  Sudbury  river  was  never  turned  in  there. 

Mr.  BRADLEE.  — That  is  the  question  I  asked  you. 

Mr.  LEWIS. — Then  I  misunderstood  you.  It  isn't  within  a 
mile  of  Sudbury  river,  the  nearest  point. 


22  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  Here  is  a  little  diagram.  Perhaps  Mr.  Lewis 
can  explain  the  situation. 

[Dr.  Barnes  explained  the  diagram.] 

Dr.  BLAKE.  — Are  we  to  understand  it  was  a  conversation  after 
the  water  had  run  a  certain  point  and  had  overflowed  its  limits 
there  ? 

Mr.  LEWIS.  — No,  sir;  it  was  the  conduit  being  emptied  there 
in  that  way.  I  don't  know  how  long  a  time  it  was  running  there. 

[Mr.  Lewis  took  a  map  of  the  locality,  and  explained  the 
location  of  the  several'  points  referred  to.] 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  It  wasn't  running  through  any  prepared  channel? 

Mr.  LEWIS.  —  Yes,  sir  ;  there  is  a  regular  channel,  —  a  prepared 
canal. 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  That  channel  was  dug  to  keep  Lake  Cochituate 
full,  and  was  used  as  a  means  of  keeping  Lake  Cochituate  full,  be- 
fore the  new  basins  were  furnished. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  — The  water  runs  from  here  into  Dug  meadow,  and 
mixes  with  the  water  of  Lake  Cochituate  ? 

Mr.  LEWIS.  — Yes,  sir  ;  and  I  saw  that  canal  full. 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  Mr.  Edwards  heard  something  of  the  statements 
made  to  me  by  Mr.  Ha}Tnes,  in  reference  to  the  water  running 
into  that  channel.  I  asked  him  to  come  in  here  and  state  what  he 
heard,  if  he  will  please  do  so. 


STATEMENT  OF  E.  E.  EDWARDS. 

Mr.  EDWARDS.  —  We  followed  the  course  of  the  new  conduit 
from  Framingham  ;  and  when  we  came  to  the  gate-house,  near  the 
Hayes  place,  we  saw  there  was  a  possible  connection  with  the 
stream  that  ran  at  right  angles  with  the  conduit.  We  made 
inquiries  of  this  Mr.  Hayes,  and  he  said  that  in  former  times  the 
water  did  flow  through  his  land,  and  sometimes  overflowed  it 
largely.  He  also  spoke  at  this  time  of  the  draining  of  Farm 
pond,  when  the  water  went  through  in  larger  volume  than  previ- 
ously ;  and  it  was  his  belief  that  the  water  was  drained  into  Dug 
meadow. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  — Did  you  take  pains  to  verif}r  his  statement?  Do 
you  know  it  to  be  true  ? 

Mr.  P^D WARDS. — No;  I  don't  know  anything  about  it.  I  only 
know,  from  the  way  it  was  situated,  that  there  was  a  stream  run- 
ning at  right  angles  in  the  direction  of  Dug  meadow. 

Q.  Do  you  know  that  the  water  of  Farm  pond  was  running  into 
Dug  meadow? 

A.    I  know  nothing  about  it  whatever. 

Q.   Then  what  did  you  come  here  for? 

A.    I  came  here  to  report  this  hearing  for  the  Transcript. 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  But  I  wished  to  have  him  -state  the  conversation 
with  Mr.  Hayes. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  I  supposed  you  wanted  him  to  testify  to  a  fact. 

Mr.  EDWARDS.  —  I  don't  know  anything  about  it. 


APPENDIX.  23 


STATEMENT  OF  HOWARD  MARSTON. 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  Mr.  Marston,  are  you  buying  spring  water? 

Mr.  MARSTON. — Yes,  sir. 

Q.    Have  you  been  buying  it  for  any  period  of  time? 

A.    Since  the  20th  day  of  last  June. 

Q.   Why  have  you  been  buying  it? 

A.  Because  there  is  so  much  complaint  about  the  other  drink- 
ing-water —  the  Cochitnate. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Is  there  very  much  complaint  when  you  use  ice  in 
pretty  good  quantity? 

A.  Yes,  sir ;  I  think  as  much  from  the  color,  perhaps,  as  the 
taste. 

Q.  Well,  isn't  the  color  pretty  well  diluted  in  using  the  ice  copi- 
ously in  the  water?  Take  melted  ice,  —  Cochituate  cannot  color 
that? 

A.  It  does  color  it  very  perceptibly.  There  is  a  difference  in 
the  color. 

Q.  Any  of  your  customers  complained  of  being  made  sick  by 
the  water? 

A.    No,  sir  ;  I  don't  think  they  have. 

Q.  Would  you  be  willing  to  state  how  much  the  purchasing  of 
spring  water  has  cost  you  in  3rour  business  in  addition  to  your 
regular  water-tax? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.    How  much? 

A.    We  use  about  three  barrels  a  day,  at  half  a  dollar  a  barrel. 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  Mr.  Lewis  Coleman  has  sent  a  representative 
here  from  Lewis  Coleman  &  Co. 

STATEMENT  OF  B.  F.  HATCH. 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  Has  your  house  been  bu3*ing  drinking-water? 

Mr.  HATCH.  —  Yes,  sir  ;  we  have,  this  summer. 

Q.  By  what  process  do  you  get  the  water?  Describe  how  you 
get  it,  and  where  }rou  get  it. 

A.  Well,  we  had  been  using  the  Cochituate  water  until  about 
the  1st  of  June.  Last  year  we  got  through  the  summer  with 
Cochituate  water.  We  didn't  buy  any  for  use  in  the  store.  We 
have  about  fifty  to  sixty  men  in  the  store,  who  drink  water,  besides 
our  customers.  We  have  a  great  many  customers.  But  individuals 
bought  water.  It  was  brought  in  jugs.  But  this  year  the  water  was 
so  bad  we  concluded  to  buy  water  for  the  whole  store.  We  have  been 
buying  fifteen  gallons  a  day  from  the  Belmont  Hill  Company  at  three 
cents  a  gallon  at  Everett.  The  water  at  our  store  has  tasted 
very  badly  indeed.  It  has  tasted  very  much  as  stagnant  water  in 
the  country  in  the  ponds,  that  you  very  often  see,  where  weeds  are 
growing.  It  has  tasted  so  much  so  that  we  could  not  drink  it,  and 
could  not  offer  it  to  our  customers. 

Dr.  BARNES. — I  have  promises  from  other  gentlemen  to  be 
present  at  this  hearing,  and  Dr.  Beach  asked  me  to  ask  the  chair- 


24  -CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

man  to  have  an  adjournment,  as  he  knew  people  who  wanted  to 
come  here  and  testify. 

The  CHAIRMAN.  —  If  Dr.  Barnes  will  give  wa}T  ofie  moment,  as 
this  question  of  how  the  water  was  let  out  of  Farm  pond  is  before 
us,  I  would  like  to  call  on  Mr.  Desmond  Fitzgerald. 

STATEMENT  OF  DESMOND  FITZGERALD. 

The  CHAIRMAN. — Mr.  Fitzgerald,  you  have  heard  the  state- 
ments about  how  the  water  was  let  off  ? 

Mr.  FITZGERALD.  —  Yes,  sir;  I  have  heard  them. 
Q.    Have  you  the  facts  in  the  case  ? 

A.  Yes,  sir.  Dr.  Barnes  never  has  come  to  me  for  the  facts, 
or  I  should  have  given  them  to  him  before.  We  have  nothing 
to  conceal  about  it.  We  keep  very  accurate  memoranda  of  the 
time  we  open  these  gates,  and  the  quantity  that  passes  out.  I  sup- 
pose our  records  are  the  most  complete  of  any  system  of  water 
works  in  the  county  ;  and  if  Dr.  Barnes  had  come  to  us  for 
them  he  could  have  ascertained  where  the  water  ran,  and  where  it 
came  from.  We  began  to  run  water  from  Farm  pond  on  Nov.  15, 
1881,  at  one  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  we  ran  it  until  Decem- 
ber 2,  when  the  water  was  shut  off.  Not  a  drop  of  that  water 
which  came  from  Farm  pond  was  run  into  Cochituate  in  any  way. 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  Was  it  run  into  Dug  meadow? 

A.  No,  sir  ;  not  a  drop  of  it  run  in  there.  I  can  give  }*ou  the 
exact  quantity,  —  a  hundred  and  ninet}r-one  million  four  hundred 
thousand  gallons.  We  didn't  open  the  gates ;  the  man  in  charge 
of  the  gates  I  always  give  instructions,  as  soon  as  he  opens 
the  gates,  to  keep  an  exact  memorandum  of  the  time  he  opens  the 
gate,  and  the  time  he  keeps  it  open  ;  and  here  I  have  the  original 
memorandum.  Besides,  we  have  our  official  records  showing  the 
exact  amount  of  water  that  ran  out,  and  what  was  done  with  it. 
Not  a  gallon  of  that  water  was  wasted  from  Farm  pond  into  Lake 
Cochituate. 

Q.  Was  it  wasted  into  the  basin  connecting  with  Lake  Co- 
chituate ? 

A.   No,  sir  ;  I  am  not  trying  to  dodge  the  question. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  — Did  it  either  directly  or  indirectly? 

A,    No,  sir  ;  neither  directly  nor  indirectly. 

Q,  Are  there  not  gates  to  connect  the  new  conduit  with  Dug 
meadow  ? 

A.  Why,  certainly ;  but  the  gates  were  not  open.  There  is  a 
way  it  can  go ;  but  it  wasn't  run  that  way.  Now,  I  think  I 
can  explain  what  seems  to  be  a  contradiction  of  testimony  here. 
After  the  canal  around  Farm  pond  was  completed,  we  ran  water 
from  Basin  No.  1  around  through  that  canal,  —  perfectly  good 
water,  —  into  Lake  Cochituate,  because  we  had  a  break  on  Basin 
No.  1.  In  order  to  repair  it  we  had  to  draw  the  water  from  Basin 
No.  1.  If  anybody  saw  water  running  there,  it  was  after  Dec. 
5,  1881. 

Q.    And  you  had  finished  emptying  the  pond  on  December  2? 

A.    Yes,  sir  ;  and  at  twelve  o'clock,  noon,  the  flow  was  stopped. 


APPENDIX.  25 

I  do  not  think  there  is  any  intention  on  the  part  of  anybody  con- 
nected with  the  water  works  to  conceal  what  we  did.  We  never 
refused  to  give  any  information  as  to  what  was  done  with  the 
water. 

Q.  Well,  the  trouble  has  been  that  these  gentlemen  who  come 
here  to  testify  —  Dr.  Barnes  and  Mr.  Lewis  —  were  not  aware  of 
the  fact  you  have  stated  ;  and  they  naturally  supposed  this  water 
was  from  Farm  pond. 

A.    But  they  should  know  the  date.    It  was  after  December  5th. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  — They  didn't  know  about  the  dates. 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  L  knew  the  dates.  I  knew  when  Farm  pond  was 
drawn  off,  and  when  it  was  stopped.  I  made  a  note  of  it,  and 
have  the  notes  at  home  in  a  note-book  which  I  made  at  the  time. 

Mr.  FITZGERALD.  —  I  don't  think  it  would  be  possible  to  find 
anybody  to  testify  that  the  water  was  running  out  into  the  Sudbury 
aqueduct  between  December  5th  and  15th. 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  I  don't  know  that  it  is  necessary  for  me  to  pursue 
the  subject  further.  I  am  not  here  as  a  prosecuting  attorney.  I 
am  only  interested  in  getting  good  water  for  the  city  of  Boston, 
and  only  suggested  this  thing  for  you  to  ferret  out. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  — I  think  it  is  for  the  Commission  to  find,  when  the 
Doctor  makes  a  positive  statement  that  diluted  water  is  mixed 
with  the  water  supply,  whether  it  is  true  or  not.  Now,  if  the 
Doctor  can  substantiate  his  statement  by  dates,  he  ought  to  do  so. 
This  gentleman,  who  is  in  charge  of  the  water,  denies  it  in  the 
most  positive  and  emphatic  manner. 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  I  understand  that.  Mr.  Wightman  says  the  basin 
was  kept  full  all  the  time ;  and  now  this  witness  comes  here  and 
says  no  water  had  run  in  that  direction. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN. —  I  made  no  such  statement  that  there  was  no 
water  run  over  that  dam.  The  statement  I  made  was  that  no 
water  from  Farm  pond  ran  over  it.  I  said  the  water  wasn't  drawn 
off  the  meadows,  and  never  was  during  all  that  year ;  and  that 
year  — 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  I  hope,  gentlemen,  you  will  ascertain  from  people 
who  live  in  the  vicinity  of  that  meadow. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  Mr.  Fitzgerald  can  testify  as  to  that. 

Mr.  FITZGERALD.  —  I  will  take  my  oath.  In  order  to  make  our 
account  come  out  we  have  to  keep  an  exact  account  of  every 
gallon  of  water  that  goes  into  our  basins,  and  where  it  goes.  We 
have  a  most  accurate  way  of  measuring  that  water.  There  were 
one  hundred  and  ninety-one  million  four  hundred  thousand  gallons. 
When  we  began  to  draw  Farm  pond  down,  on  November  17th,  the 
level  of  Farm  pond  was  145.96  above  tide  level.  We  drew  it 
down  to  December  2d,  but  didn't  lower  the  pond  after  November 
30th,  and  the  elevation  was  142. 1 7.  That  was  the  lowest  Farm  pond 
got.  Not  a  drop  of  that  water  was  in  any  way,  shape,  or  manner 
run  into  Lake  Cochituate. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  I  would  like  to  have  Dr.  Barnes  satisfied  on  this 
subject. 

Dr.  BARNES.  — I  made  a  note  of  it  at  the  time. 

Mr.  BRADLEE.  —  Are  you  sure  of  it? 


26  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

Dr.  BARNES.  — Yes,  sir.     I  am  familiar  with  it. 

Q.   Is  Mr.  Lewis  sure  about  it? 

A.  He  knew,  and  many  persons  about  Framingham  talked 
about  it.  It  was  between  the  time  they  were  drawing  off  and  ended 
drawing  off  Farm  pond  that  this  basin  filled,  and  I  made  a  note  of 
it,  which  I  can  find  at  home. 

Mr.  FITZGERALD.  — I  should  like  to  see  it. 

LETTERS  AND  PAPERS  READ. 

Dr.  BARNES. — I   have   some   letters   from   persons   unable    to 
attend  this  hearing,  but  who  wished  to  present  testimony. 
Dr.  Barnes  read  the  following :  — 

PARKER  HOUSE,  BOSTON,  Oct.  9,  1882. 
City  of  Boston  :  — 

GENTLEMEN,  —  We  have  been  buying  spring  water  of  Nathan  Bobbins  for 
the  last  eighteen  months,  —  from  three  to  four  barrels  a  day,  —  for  the  city 
water  has  been  so  bad  our  people  would  not  drink  it. 

Respectfully, 

H.  D.  PARKER  &  CO. 

HOTEL  VENDOME,  BOSTON,  Oct.  9,  1882. 

MY  DEAR  DOCTOR,  —  As  I  cannot  conveniently  be  present  at  the  hearing 
at  City  Hall  on  the  water  question,  I  herewith  send  you  a  letter  from  the 
proprietor  of  the  hotel  for  your  use,  if  you  desire  it. 

In  addition,  1  would  state  that  the  water,  as  drawn  from  the  faucet  in  my 
office,  is  of  dirty  color,  offensive  taste,  and  the  odor  from  the  hot-water 
pipes  at  times  is  simply  disgusting. 

I  have  long  since  abandoned  its  use  in  my  family,  and  purchase  spring  water 
for  drinking  purposes.  While  I  have  not  investigated  its  deleterious  qualities, 
what  I  have  here  mentioned  is  sufficient  cause,  in  my  opinion,  to  condemn  it 
as  unfit  for  use.  M.  E.  WEBB,  M.D. 

DR.  H.  J.  BARNES. 

To  the  Commission  on  Water,  City  of  Boston  :  — 

As  one  of  the  petitioners  requesting  an  investigation  into  the  causes  of 
the  impurities  of  our  water,  I  desire  to  testify  that  the  water  supplied  to  my 
residence  has  been  for  the  most  of  the  time  during  the  past  year  unfit  for  drink- 
ing purposes,  and  that  during  the  past  summer  I  took  pains  to  examine  the 
water-basins  in  Framingham,  particularly  Basin  No.  3,  and  that  from  the  color 
and  odor  of  the  water  stored  there  I  was  not  surprised  at  the  great  complaint 
made  by  so  many  of  the  residents  of  the  city. 

I  regret  that  my  professional  engagements  will  prevent  my  appearing 
before  your  body  to  give  the  testimony. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

W.  H.  BAKER,  M.D. 

240  Commonwealth  avenue. 

BOSTON,  Oct.  8,  1882. 
//.  J.  Barnes,  M.D.  :  — 

MY  DEAR  DOCTOR,  —  Professional  engagements  will  prevent  my  attendance 
at  the  City  Hall  to-morrow,  at  the  hearing  before  the  special  Water  Commis- 
sion. Knowing  that  you  are  to  be  present,  I  take  the  liberty  to  send  you  this 
note,  that  you  may  make  use  of  it,  if  necessary  or  advisable,  as  the  expression 
of  the  opinion  on  the  part  of  myself  and  my  family  that  the  water  which  has 
been  supplied  to  us  by  the  city  has  for  a  long  time  been  totally  unfit  for 
drinking,  and  much  of  the  time  for  toilet  purposes.  It  may  be  said,  perhaps, 


APPENDIX.  27 

that  boiling  will  do  away  with  its  objectionable  features.  In  reply  to  this  I 
would  state  that  my  wife  has,  on  several  occasions,  been  nauseated  by  the 
stench  which  came  from  the  water  which  had  been  drawn  from  the  hot-water 
faucet  for  our  infant's  bath,  and  I  would  add  that  boiling  water  which  emits 
such  a  foul  odor  as  to  nauseate  one  cannot,  by  any  process  of  reasoning  or 
analysis,  be  proved,  to  my  satisfaction,  to  be  fit  for  drinking  or  culinary 
purposes.  Holding  this  view,  I  have  for  a  long  time  felt  myself  obliged  to 
assume  the  additional  expense  of  purchasing  spring  water. 

I  trust  that  the  meeting  to-morrow  will  be  attended  by  a  large  number  of 
our  citizens,  who  I  know  feel  as  I  do  in  the  matter,  and  who  demand  that 
something  be  done  to  improve  the  quality  of  our  water  supply,  first  on 
sanitary  grounds,  and,  secondly,  to  relieve  us  of  an  unwarranted  pecuniary 
burden. 

Very  truly  yours, 

W.  E.  BOARDMAN,  M.D. 

BOSTON,  Oct.  7,  1882. 
Dr.  Henry  J.  Barnes  :  — 

DEAR  SIR, — The  water  at  my  residence  (103  Charles  street)  has  been 
exceedingly  offensive  both  in  taste  and  in  smell.  Although  somewhat  improved 
lately,  it  is  not  by  any  means  what  water  used  for  drinking  purposes  should  be. 

Yours  truly, 

W.  MACMAHON. 

Dr.  BARNES. —  I  have  also  received  a  note  from  Gen.  Underwood, 
of  Milford.  I  will  present  it  here,  although  it  might  be  used  more 
properly  at  another  part  of  the  discussion.  (Reading)  :  — 

MILFORD,  Oct.  6,  1882. 

DEAR  SIR,  — Having  known  Farm  pond  in  Framingham  for  the  past  forty 
or  fifty  years,  I  will  state  that,  to  the  best  of  my  knowledge  and  belief,  the 
pond  was  a  beautiful,  clear  lake  of  water  until  the  water  of  the  Sudbury 
basin  was  turned  into  it. 

Very  truly  yours, 

O.  UNDERWOOD. 

Dr.  BARNES. — I  have  also  a  letter  here  from  Mr.  E.  S.  Phil- 
brick  ;  but,  as  I  have  not  his  permission  to  present  it,  I  desire  to 
see  him  to  ask  permission  to  present  it  to  the  Commission.  It  is 
in  discussion  of  this  subject. 

I  should  like  to  read  to  you  a  leader  in  the  Boston  Medical  and 
Surgical  Journal  of  August  3,  1882  :  — 

BAD  DRINKING-WATER  AND  POLITICS. 

Wherever  stored  water  is  exposed  to  such  intense  heat  as  must  result  in 
shallow  reservoirs  of  surface  water,  in  climates  like  that  of  most  of  the  cities 
of  the  United  States  and  many  parts  of  Europe,  it  is  liable  from  time  to  time 
to  contain  the  sponge,  the  decay  of  which  gives  rise  to  the  peculiar  "  cucum- 
ber," "  oily,*'  or  "  fishy  "  taste  now  and  then  complained  of  in  Boston.  This 
does  not  occur  in  the  temperature  of  London,  or  in  such  deep,  gravelly-bottomed 
ponds  supplied  by  underground  springs,  as  Lake  Wenharn,  for  instance,  where 
the  heat  never  rises  to  the  height  requisite  for  the  development  of  that  par- 
ticular form  of  growth.  Naturally,  therefore,  the  liability  to  the  disgusting 
taste  and  smell  would  be  increased,  as  was  the  case  by  damming  Lake 
Cochituate,  and  floAving  many  acres  of  meadow  land.  It  does  not  appear  that 
vegetable  or  animal  filth  increases  this  liability,  although  there  are  other 
objections  to  the  town  of  Natick  using  Lake  Cochituate  as  its  cesspool. 
Professor  Farlow's  careful  researches  — which  cleared  the  way  for  Professor 
Remsen's  lucky  hit  in  finding  the  real  causa  causans  of  this  curious  taste  and 


28  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

smell — have  aparently  satisfied  the  Water  Board  and  many  of  the  public,  to 
judge  from  the  sententious  advice:  "If  you  don't  like  the  water,  drink 
whiskey,"  and  from  the  readiness  of  our  citizens  to  accept  what  seems  to 
them  the  inevitable,  and  purchase  their  drinking-water.  It  is  a  fact  that  we 
do  not  yet  know  how  to  avoid  this  nauseous  taste ;  but  it  is  also  a  fact  that  it 
comes  only  at  intervals  of  several  years,  lasts  only  a  few  days,  disappears 
upon  boiling,  and  is  probably  not  prejudicial  to  health. 

The  chief  trouble  in  the  Boston  water  supply  at  present  was  predicted  by 
the  eminent  city  engineer  whom  the  politicians  drove  from  Boston,  to  the 
great  loss  of  that  city,  and  had  already  been  clearly  illustrated  in  the  flooding 
of  the  Lake  Cochituate  meadows  years  ago.  It  consists  in  the  simple  fact 
that  the  Sudbury-river  reservoirs  were  built  contrary  to  all  principles  of 
science  and  common-sense ;  that  many  acres  of  very  shallow  water  cover  turf 
rotting  away  slowly;  that  the  conditions  for  the  growth  of  low  forms  of 
aquatic  life  are  produced ;  that  a  bottom  covered  with  a  nasty  mass  of  filth 
takes  the  place  of  gravel ;  and,  finally,  that  the  citizens  are  drinking  bog- 
water,  which  is  sometimes  pretty  good,  and  often  very  bad,  — just  in  proportion 
as  it  is  mixed  with  greater  or  less  proportions  of  decent  water.  It  is  proba- 
ble, too,  that  these  conditions  of  varying  heat  and  nastiness  may  be  some- 
thing of  a  factor  in  the  production  of  the  clathrocystis  and  caslosp'hcerium  and 
anabesna,  which  every  few  years  rouse  the  wrath  of  the  citizens,  to  be  ap- 
peased by  the  Water  Board's  perennial  habit  of  taking  a  few  chemical  analyses, 
and  by  the  natural  disappearance  of  the  plants. 

Another  clear  source  of  the  dirty  water  observed  in  our  bath-tubs  lies  in 
the  fact  that  many  of  the  water  mains  were  laid  before  the  practice  of  coating 
the  insides  with  tar  was  in  vogue,  and  that  the  roughnesses  of  the  surfaces 
cause  vegetable  debris  to  collect  and  to  be  unevenly  distributed. 

It  needs  no  elaborate  argument  from  us  to  prove  that  the  public  health  is 
not  sufficiently  attended  to  in  that  city,  where  only  the  rich  can  have  pure 
water  to  drink,  and  where  the  temptation  to  the  poor  to  drink  bad  rum  is 
increased.  Nor  shall  we  endeavor  to  show  that  the  public  morality  is  low 
where  important  public  trusts,  such  as  the  management  of  water  supplies,  are 
made  subservient  to  politics. 

Beyond  this  question,  as  applied  to  Boston,  and  partly  in  connection  with 
it,  comes  the  difficult  problem  of  water  and  sewerage  for  the  State,  which  can 
be  properly  treated  only  by  general  laws.  Let  us  hope  that  such  legislation 
will  not  be  like  that  of  the  Butler-fearing  Solons,  who  allowed  the  shoe- 
makers of  Natick,  by  special  enactment,  to  bathe  in  Lake  Cochituate  rather 
than  lose  a  few  votes. 

If  we  are  to  become  so  extravagant  in  the  use  of  water  as  to  require  one 
hundred  gallons  daily  to  each  individual,  there  must  be  either  separate  sup- 
plies, as  in  every  farm-house,  for  drinking  and  for  other  purposes,  or  else 
water-meters  must  be  introduced,  as  has  already  been  done  in  other  cities. 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  I  will  close,  gentlemen,  by  reciting  to  you  what 
are  my  own  special  views  in  regard  to  this  matter,  as  published  in 
the  Medical  and  Surgical  Journal  of  Januaiy  26,  1882,  which  is  a 
paper  I  read  before  the  Suffolk  District  Medical  Society. 

THE  WATER  SUPPLY  OF  BOSTON. 
By  HENRY  J.  BARNES,  M.D. 

The  public  supply  of  water  for  the  City  of  Boston  has  so  far  improved 
that  we  can  once  more  drink  without  disgust,  although  it  is  still  highly 
discolored,  and  there  is  a  disagreeable  smell,  particularly  in  that  drawn  from  the 
hot-water  faucets.  The  change  took  place  during  the  cold  weather  in  the 
early  part  of  December ;  and  it  is  reasonable  to  ascribe  this  to  the  weather 
quite  as  much  as  to  the  fact  of  Farm  pond  being  shut  off;  for,  just  before 
the  new  channel  was  finished  around  the  margin,  I  could  not  detect  the  bad 
taste  so  familiar  in  Boston  in  the  water  of  this  pond.  Besides,  we  did  not  get 
the  good  water  from  Basin  No.  2,  as  promised  by  the  Water  Board,  for  an 
accident  to  the  main  laid  in  the  bed  of  Basin  No.  1  necessitated  the  mingling 


APPENDIX.  29 

of  the  water  of  the  two  basins  before  it  could  be  used  through  the  new 
channel,  and  the  analysis  of  the  water  of  No.  1,  made  by  Mr.  Eemsen 
November  5th,  prompted  him  to  classify  it,  in  point  of  impurity,  with  Farm 
pond,  Bradlee  basin,  Pegan  meadows,  and  Basin  No.  3.  His  subsequent 
discovery  ofspongilla  in  Farm  pond  seems  to  have  so  occupied  public  attention 
that  the  filthy  conditions  of  the  other  basins,  where  no  sponge  has  yet  been 
found,  have  been  lost  sight  of.  To  emphasize  the  importance  of  these  other 
basins  as  factors  in  polluting  the  water,  I  invite  your  attention  to  this  subject; 
and  that  you  may  be  better  able  to  follow  the  discussion  I  will  describe  first 
the  relative  positions  of  the  basins  of  the  Sudbury-river  system  by  the  aid  of 
a  diagram.  This  system  of  supply  is  naturally  good.  Sudbury  river  com- 
pared favorably  with  all  the  many  systems  examined  when  Boston  debated  in 
1872  and  1873  which  to  adopt ;  and,  finally,  when  narrowed  down  to  a  question 
as  to  whether  it  or  the  Charles  river  should  be  taken,  its  freedom  from  sewage 
settled  the  debate  in  its  favor. 

Mr.  Davis,  the  city  engineer  at  the  time,  reported,  in  City  Document  29, 
page  28,  1873:  "There  are  various  reasons  for  believing  Sudbury-river 
water  to  be  unusually  free  from  deleterious  matter,  either  in  solution  or  held  in 
suspension.  Such  was  the  testimony  of  all  persons  consulted,  this  water 
being  used  for  many  years  for  bleaching,  and  noted  for  its  fitness,  indicating 
it  was  free  from  color,"  etc.  Again,  on  page  33,  Mr.  Davis  writes  :  "  The  usual 
w  ater  of  Sudbury  river  is  pure  and  clear."  These  were  his  conclusions, 
although  at  the  time  there  was  some  discoloration,  due,  as  he  says,  "to  the 
taking  up  of  vegetable  matter  during  a  freshet  after  an  unusually  dry 
summer." 

Professor  Remsen's  more  recent  examination  supports  this  opinion  so  far  as 
it  goes. 

Stony  brook  does  not  seem  to  have  received  so  much  attention,  presumably 
for  the  reason  that  not  even  a  suspicion  of  impurity  has  ever  been  raised  in 
regard  to  it.  A  farmer  living  near  it,  just  above  No.  3,  tells  me  he  "has 
always  known  the  water  to  be  clear  and  good."  I  can  find  no  authoritative 
statement  that  either  receive  any  considerable  amount  of  sewage,  but,  on  the 
contrary,  many  reports  that  it  does  not  exist  to  any  appreciable  extent  in  the 
water  of  either  of  those  streams. 

There  remains  the  natural  basin  of  Farm  pond  to  describe,  which,  before 
the  introduction  of  Sudbury-river  water,  was  pure  and  clear.  It  received 
the  drainage  of  a  very  limited  area  of  the  flat  territory  around,  —  not  even  a 
good-sized  ditch  emptied  into  it,  —  and  its  outflow  was  into  the  Sudbury  river. 
The  clean  stone  and  gravel  bottom  could  be  seen  from  many  parts  of  the 
surface.  At  either  end  there  is  a  peat-bog  of  several  acres,  and  in  the 
deepest  parts  considerable  mud,  which  the  Water  Board  state  measures 
thirty  feet  in  some  places ;  but  this  may  be  fairly  questioned  when  we 
take  into  consideration  that  it  is  a  shallow  pond,  situated  on  a  plain  which 
abounds  in  quicksands  as  easily  penetrated  by  a  pole  as  mud  would  be.  I 
have  been  familiar  with  the  pond  for  the  past  twenty  years,  and  have  always 
known  the  water  to  be  pure  and  clear  until  the  water  from  No.  3  was  let  into 
it,  when  it  became  dark  and  turbid.  Mr.  Davis,  in  City  Document  29,  page 
26,  1873,  says,  that  Farm  pond,  being  a  natural  basin,  but  little  work  is 
needed  to  put  it  in  good  order. 

The  water  of  this  supply  was  first  used  in  the  summer  of  1872  by  construct- 
ing a  temporary  dam  on  the  Sudbury  river,  just  below  the  outlet  of  the  pond. 
At  the  other  end  a  channel  was  dug  to  conduct  the  water  into  Beaver  brook, 
a  tributary  of  Lake  Cochituate,  and  by  these  means  the  lake  was  supplied 
and  kept  full  most  of  the  time  until  the  completion  of  the  new  conduit  con- 
necting Farm  pond  directly  with  the  Chestnut-Hill  reservoir,  and  for  seven 
years  we  had  no  trouble  with  this  water.  The  local  engineer  reports  in  City 
Document  79,  page  128,  1879,  "that  the  surface  of  Lake  Cochituate  has,  by 
this  means,  been  kept  higher  than  usual,  and  the  quality  fully  up  to  the 
standard  of  previous  years." 

The  trouble  with  the  water  began  after  the  completion  of  Basin  No.  3. 
This  basin  was  filled  for  the  first  time  in  the  winter  and  spring  of  1878  and 
1879;  the  following  September  there  was  a  general  complaint  throughout 
the  city  of  bad-tasting  water.  Alga  were  found  in  all  the  basins,  and 
Mr.  Davis,  in  one  of  his  reports  to  the  Water  Board,  said  it  was  conveyed 


30  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

from  No.   3   to  the   others.     Professor    Nichols   attributed  it  to   vegetable 
matter  taken  up  in  the  storage-basins. 

Let  us  now  examine  No.  3,  and  notice  what  changes  took  place  there.  I 
have  a  sectional  view  of  this  basin  as  it  appeared  after  the  water  was  drawn 
down  last  summer. 

Mr.  Davis  anticipated  this  effect;  for,  in  Document  29,  page  43,  of  his 
report  in  1873,  he  urged  the  "  rapid  construction  of  the  new  basins,  that 
they  might  have  time  to  decompose  the  vegetable  matter ;  "  and  on  page  35 
he  says  :  "  No.  3  includes  an  extensive  swamp,  and  lands  supporting  a  rich 
vegetation,  which  it  is  desirable  to  have  removed  by  grubbing  and  excava- 
tion, as  it  will,  otherwise,  have  to  be  gotten  rid  of  by  a  slow  process  of 
decomposition,  which  will  be  apt,  in  the  summer  months,  to  deteriorate  the 
water."  One  would  suppose  that,  with  this  recommendation  and  the  experi- 
ence the  Water  Board  had  gained  by  disregarding  it,  they  would  seize  the 
first  opportunity  to  free  the  basin  of  this  material.  Not  so,  however ;  they 
caused  it  to  be  refilled  to  the  line  of  clean  gravel,  and  it  purified  itself  during 
the  winter.  The  next  year  it  was  drawn  on,  but  to  a  limited  extent.  There 
were  some  alga,  but  the  water  was  fair  during  the  year.  Last  spring,  being 
full  to  the  line  of  clean  gravel,  it  was  so  good  that,  with  water  from  Basin 
No.  2,  the  entire  supply  of  the  city,  save  that  furnished  by  Mystic  river, 
was  taken  from  this  source.  The  effect  was  to  lower  the  water  rapidly  in  No.  3, 
and  expose  vast  mud-flats  and  banks  in  the  early  summer,  which,  exposed  to 
the  hot  sun,  became  very  offensive.  The  alternate  rise  and  fall  of  the  water, 
the  waves  and  the  currents  assailing  the  banks,  washed  away  great  quantities 
of  these  overflowed  farm-lands,  which  for  many  years  had  received  the 
products  of  the  barn-yards,  and  were  full  of  dead  animal  and  vegetable 
material.  The  earth-worms  alone,  Mr.  Darwin  tells  us,  number  20,000  per 
acre,  and  their  excrement  amounts  to  ten  tons  a  year.  Beetles,  moles, 
grasshoppers,  sewer-bugs,  and  many  other  forms  of  animal  life  make  up 
material  undergoing  the  process  of  decomposition.  Do  you  wonder  that 
these  flats  have  been  infested  by  large  flocks  of  crows,  here  doing  excellent 
work  as  scavengers? 

Then,  as  to  the  decaying  vegetable  matter,  do  any  of  you  as  boys  remem- 
ber the  opening  of  a  vegetable  cellar  in  spring,  and  its  disgusting  stench,  or 
the  decay  of  hay  about  the  barn-yard?  Is  it  to  be  wondered  at  that  Mr. 
llemsen  should  say  "the  water  smelt  of  the  pigpen,"  and  ought  not  to  bo 
used,  or  that  the  citizens  of  Framingham  should  complain  of  the  smell? 

Now  let  us  trace  this  filthy  water  to  Boston.  It  is  conducted,  as  I  have 
shown  you,  through  Basin  No.  1,  without  mingling  with  its  waters,  into  Farm 
pond.  Drawn  from  the  lowest  point  of  the  basin,  the  greatest  amount  of 
suspended  material  is  swept  into  the  pond,  there  to  spread  over  this  shallow 
sheet  of  water,  to  steep  and  macerate  during  the  summer.  Much  is  deposited, 
for  the  current  is  slow  ;  and  since  the  pond  has  been  drawn  off  I  have  taken 
pains  to  measure  the  depth  of  the  deposit. 

About  the  upper  gate-house  an  inch  at  least  overlies  the  clean  gravel,  and 
the  new  channel  cuts  through  it  all  the  way  to  the  gate-house  at  the  other  end 
of  the  pond.  As  you  approach  the  natural  channel  it  is  much  deeper ;  there 
are  three  to  six  and  even  ten  inches  of  this  material,  filled  with  sticks,  roots, 
and  blades  of  grass,  such  as  you  will  see  in  one  of  the  bottles  I  show,  tho 
presence  of  which  leads  me  to  infer  that  it  is  recent.  Mr.  Van  Viert  found 
this  mud  to  emit  very  offensive  gases ;  another  fact  tending  to  show  that  the 
deposit  is  recent. 

The  spongilla  was  found  by  this  gentleman  distributed  only  in  that  part  of 
Farm  pond  which  Mr.  Wightman,  the  present  city  engineer,  pointed  out  at  a 
meeting  of  the  Natural  History  Society  as  being  the  natural  channel  between 
the  two  gate-houses,  and  it  was  found  in  greatest  abundance  about  the  upper 
gate.  Professor  Hyatt,  at  the  same  meeting,  described  the  habit  of  the  spon- 
gilla as  attaching  itself  to  hard  surfaces  and  living  by  absorbing  quantities  of 
water,  from  which  it  selected  its  food.  I  find  in  Griffith  and  Henfrcy's  Micro- 
graphic  Dictionary  that  algce  are  its  chief  nourishment.  It  is  not  fair  to  infer, 
then,  that  the  luxurious  growtli  of  the  spongilla  in  Farm  pond  subsists  on  the 
organic  material  introduced  from  "  pigpen,"  and  that  it  is  living  at  the  ex- 
pense of  quite  as  noxious  material  as  itself. 

Farm  pond  is  not  capable  of  acting  as  a  settling-basin,  for  all  the  material 


APPENDIX.  31 

from  it  comes  into  our  houses  in  Boston  to  clog  the  filters  and  pollute  our 
tanks.  I  found  in  mine  a  deposit  of  mud  three-quarters  of  an  inch  deep, 
which  a  short  time  after  being  taken  out  became  very  offensive.  Half  a 
dozen  or  so  of  coagulated  masses  were  partially  suspended  near  the  bottom, 
and  the  sides  were  lined  with  a  soft,  slimy-feeling  substance,  which,  under 
the  microscope,  showed  abundant  algce.  The  tank  was  at  the  top  of  my 
house,  and  fed  by  a  faucet  governed  by  a  floating  ball,  insuring  a  slow 
current,  and  thus  giving  the  most  favorable  chance  for  the  material  to  settle 
in  the  pipes,  and  be  drawn  off  through  the  faucets  in  the  lower  stories.  It 
was  cleaned  and  securely  covered  eight  months  before. 

If  these  conditions  suggest  anything  it  is  that  the  supply  is  contaminated 
first  in  the  new  basins  by  taking  up  decomposing  animal  and  vegetable 
matter.  Mr.  Davis  hoped  that  the  new  basins  would  be  "completed  some 
time  before  it  would  be  necessary  to  use  the  water,  that  they  might  assume 
the  character  of  natural  ponds."  By  this  process  Professor  Nichols  recog- 
nizes the  dangers  of  vegetable  matter  in  storage-basins  when  he  writes : 
"  Deposit  in  storage-basins  goes  on  continually,  and  is  preparing  evil  for  the 
future,  as  this  deposit  undergoes  a  slow  process  of  decay."  Instead  of  a  slow 
process  of  decay  these  vast  lands  were  uncovered  early  in  the  summer,  and 
the  most  rapid  process  of  decay  and  decomposition  possible  was  the  result. 
Professor  Edes,  of  New  Jersey,  examined  Boston  water  last  summer,  and 
states  in  brief  "that  it  contains  pollution  amounting  to  seventy  per  cent, 
above  the  limit  of  health,  and  that  he  found  it  abounding  in  decomposing 
organic  matter."  Does  any  one  but  Boston's  Water  Board  pretend  that  all 
this  filth  comes  from  the  once  beautiful  Farm  pond?  No,  gentlemen;  it 
comes  from  the  new  basins,  and  you  can  see  it  passing,  as  I  did  December  10, 
when  the  color  of  the  water  in  the  new  channel  cut  around  Farm  pond  was 
that  of  good  coffee. 

In  1854  Dr.  Jackson  attributed  the  trouble  in  Lake  Cochituate  to  the  decay 
of  vegetable  matter.  In  1873  the  Water  Board,  having  Mystic  in  charge, 
"congratulate  the  city  on  having  provided  additional  pumping-power,  and 
enabling  them  to  draw  off  the  water,  giving  a  long-desired  opportunity  to 
clean  the  basin." 

The  Mystic  basins  were  chiefly  built  like  those  on  Sudbury  river ;  and  you 
know  how  often  complaint  has  been  made  of  the  bad  taste  of  the  water.  In 
<lry  seasons  vast  mud-banks  here  have  been  exposed,  I  am  told. 

Cochituate  has  been  drawn  low  many  times,  exposing  the  mud,  particu- 
larly in  that  part  of  the  basin  next  to  Natick,  which  receives  the  sewage  of 
Pegan  brook.  It  can  hardly  be  doubted  but  that  this  has  operated  to  vitiate 
the  water  of  Lake  Cochituate.  Westborough,  Mass.,  has  had  trouble  with 
its  system,  and  the  engineer  under  whose  charge  the  work  was  done,  writes 
me  that  he  attributes  the  trouble  to  vegetation  left  in  the  basin,  the  gentleman 
representing  the  town  disregarding  his  recommendation  to  remove  it.  New- 
ton, taking  Charles-river  water,  excavated  a  basin  something  like  one  thousand 
feet  long,  from  which  the  water  is  pumped,  and  it  has  always  been  good. 

Mr.  Wilde,  member  of  the  Water  Board,  having  the  care  of  Spot  pond, 
tells  me  "  the  trouble  was  caused  there  three  years  ago  by  the  exposure  of  vast 
mud-banks  during  a  dry  summer.  The  following  spring  the  ice  which  had 
frozen  to  this  mud  raised  a  great  quantity  of  it,  which  was  distributed  in  the 
water  when  the  ice  melted."  Albany,  taking  its  supply  from  Lake  liensselaer, 
thought  to  increase  the  area  by  raising  a  dam.  A  bad  taste  of  the  water  was 
the  result;  and  Professor  Chandler,  considering  the  decaying  vegetable  matter 
to  be  the  cause,  advised  its  removal,  which  was  done,  and  relief  followed. 
The  basins  at  Chestnut  Hill  gave  us  no  trouble  when  first  constructed,  for  the 
wash  of  the  banks  was  guarded  against  by  a  clean  stone  lining.  The  water 
of  one  of  them  is  said  to  have'had  a  bad  taste  for  a  short  time  in  1875.  I  do  not 
attempt  to  explain  the  trouble,  but  in  view  of  its  receiving  water  from  Lake 
Cochituate  through  the  old  conduit  which  Mr.  Wiggin  reported,  after  an  ex- 
amination, "  to  be  lined  with  a  growing  substance  resembling  sponge,"  and' 
Mr.  Davis  subsequently  reported  "  the  sides  covered  with  a  vegetable 
growth,"  it  is  suggested  only  that  the  trouble  might  be  introduced  from  this 
source.  The  late  Dr.  Jacob  Bigelow  said  "that  the  water  of  Sudbury  sup- 
ply would  not  be  good  until  the  basins  were  cleaned  ;  "  and  Professor  Sharpies, 
in  an  interview  published  in  the  Herald,  November  21,  says,  "  I  do  think 


32  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

that,  in  every  case,  so  far  as  reported,  the  smell  and  taste  can  be  traced  to 
decay  of  vegetable  or  animal  matter." 

You  will  naturally  ask  why  the  water  of  Basin  No.  2  on  Sudbury  river 
should  be  good  this  fall,  while  Nos.  1  and  3  were  bad.  It  differs  from  them 
in  that  its  banks  are  steep  and  there  are  no  extensive  mud-shoals  to  be  ex- 
posed when  the  water  is  partially  drawn  off.  It  is  a  small  basin,  supplied  by 
the  considerable  amount  of  good  water  flowing  in  Sudbury  river.  The  steep 
banks  have  been  effectively  washed  down  to  the  clean  gravel,  and  it  has 
been  kept  full  except  for  a  short  time  in  the  early  part  of  last  summer. 

I  do  not  discuss  the  theories  advanced  by  able  men  as  to  the  causes  of 
trouble,  for  I  admit  that  all,  save  "the  fish  story,"  have  an  abundance  of 
evidence  to  support  them.  But  I  do  claim  that  they  each  depend  on  the 
organic  matter  taken  up  in  the  basins  decomposing  and  furnishing  nourish- 
ment for  the  many  forms  of  noxious  life  found  in  our  water,  and  which 
imparts  to  its  taste,  smell,  and  color  by  their  decomposition. 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  Dr.  Beach  promised  to  be  here  at  11  o'clock, 
if  possible,  and  if  not,  would  send  me  a  note  asking  that  there  be 
adjournment  of  the  Commission,  that  other  evidence  might  be  pro- 
duced. But  it  seems  to  me,  with  the  evidence  and  letters  produced, 
you  have  enough  to  prove  there  is  complaint.  One  of  the  principal 
banking  men  of  Boston  said.  "  D — n  it !  don't  the  Commission 
know  that  there  is  complaint?  I  think  they  should  know  it.  I 
haven't  time  to  go  and  tell  them.  I  can  afford  to  bii3r  spring 
water." 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  It  seems  to  me,  Mr.  Chairman,  we  might  admit 
that  fact,  and  that  there  is  no  necessity  for  cumulative  evidence. 

The  CHAIRMAN.  —  We  will  admit  the  fact.  It  is  admitted  that 
there  is  complaint ;  but  the  question  is  :  What  is  the  cause,  and  what 
is  the  remedy  ? 

Dr.  BARNES.  — Another  question  in  reference  to  the  cleaning  of 
Basin  No.  3.  Mr.  Cutter  says  it  will  cost  two  millions  to  clean  and 
concrete  the  bottom.  Mr.  Wightman  sa3'S  it  will  take  between  a 
million  and  a  million  and  a  half.  I  labor  under  a  great  misappre- 
hension if  the  loam  in  Basin  No.  4  is  not  being  removed  at  an  ex- 
pense of  $40,000,  and  it  is  an  immense  basin.  If  it  is  going  to  cost 
only  $40,000  to  clean  Basin  No.  4,  I  hope  Mr.  Cutter  will  reconcile 
that  fact  with  3-011.  I  do  not  claim  to  be  an  engineer,  and  am  not 
an  expert  in  this  matter,  and  on\y  present  what  has  occurred  to 
me  during  the  last  two  or  three  years  in  observing  this  subject. 

The  CHAIRMAN.  — This  appropriation  was  made  not  on  any  specific 
estimate.  It  was  made  in  the  Common  Council  without  any  actual 
estimate  of  the  cost.  That  was  the  \\tiy  the  $40,000  was  put  in. 

Dr.  BARNES.  — It  seems  to  me  Mr.  Greenough's  connection  with 
the  water  supply,  being  on  the  committee,  would  enable  him  to 
state  somewhere  near  the  expense  of  cleaning  Basin  No.  4.  In 
reply  to  Mr.  Whitmore,  in  the  Council,  he  said  $40,000  would 
probabty  do  it.  I  think  Mr.  Greenough  is  capable  of  estimating 
the  difference  between  $40,000  and  a  million  and  a  half. 

The  CHAIRMAN.  —  I  do  not  understand  that  an  estimate  has  been 
made  by  the  engineer. 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  I  understand  the  testimony  of  Mr.  Wightman  is 
that  it  will  take  about  a  million  and  a  half  dollars  ;  —  will  go  but 
little  way. 

Mr.  WIGIITMAN.  — I  should  like  to  interrupt  just  here.     I  made 


APPENDIX.  33 

a  statement  that  Chestnut-Hill  reservoir  cost  $640,000.  Its 
banks  are  covered  with  stone  paving  and  coping,  and  it  has  walks 
around  it.  I  certainly  would  not  be  willing  to  make  a  statement 
that  it  cost  a  million  and  a  half  dollars  to  take  the  loam  out  of  that 
basin. 

Dr.  BLAKE. — I  don't  understand  that  the  engineer  made  an}r 
such  statement.  I  understood  him  to  say  it  would  cost  two  or 
three  hundred  thousand. 

Dr.  BARNES.  — His  statement  was  that  a  million  dollars  would 
go  a  small  way  toward  doing  that  work. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —That  is  Chestnut-Hill  reservoir. 

Dr.  BARNES.  — Nobody  asks  for  that  work. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  But  the  question  is  the  removal  of  the  loam  from 
Basin  No.  3. 

Dr.  BARNES. — And  Mr.  Wightman  brings  in  the  question  of 
making  a  grand  boulevard  like  that  about  Chestnut-Hill  reservoir 
to  compare  it  with. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN. — I  made  a  statement  that  Basin  No.  4  con- 
tained about  a  half  million  yards  of  what  we  call  loam,  and  I  sup- 
pose it  could  be  taken  out  for  fifty  cents  a  yard.  That  was  the 
only  statement  I  made  about  taking  out  loam  ;  and  I  never  made 
such  a  statement  about  Basin  No.  3.  Of  course  Dr.  Barnes  can 
state  that  1  said  so ;  but  the  reporter  has  it  down  in  black  and 
white  what  I  did  say. 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  There  is  one  other  thing  I  desire  to  say,  and  that 
is  in  regard  to  the  pollution  of  Bradlee  basin.  In  view  of  the 
statement  made  by  Mr.  Cutter,  of  the  efforts  to  remove  the  spon- 
gilla, it  seems  to  me  the  pollution  of  that  basin  might  have  come 
from  the  spongilla  in  the  old  conduit. 

Mr.  CUTTER.  —  I  should  like  to  interrupt,  and  ask  why  the 
Lawrence  bcisin  was  affected  in  the  same  way? 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  I  have  only  3*0111*  reports  on  the  subject,  and 
do  not  know  if  it  is  so,  or  not.  I  only  know  the  conduit  has  been 
lined  with  spongilla  from  time  to  time,  and  has  the  same  conditions 
for  growth  as  in  Farm  pond,  namely,  the  laying  bare  of  those 
meadows,  Pegan  and  Dug,  }'ear  after  }7ear,  where  the  algae  and  other 
forms  of  aquatic  life  find  nourishment,  and  has  thus  nourished  the 
spongilla  in  the  old  conduit. 

Gentlemen,  I  am  very  much  obliged  to  3'ou  for  your  patient  lis- 
tening to  me. 

Mr.  FITZGERALD.  —  I  suppose  you  are  aware  that  the  spongilla 
were  in  Lake  Cochituate  before  they  took  the  water  for  Boston? 

Dr.  BARNES. — Yes,  sir;  1  understood  Dr.  Jackson  found  it 
there. 

Mr.  FITZGERALD.  — I  have  seen  it  at  the  upper  end  for  the  last 
ten  or  twelve  years. 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  Yes,  sir ;  and  for  the  last  ten  or  twelve  years 
you  have  laid  bare  Dug  meadow  and  Pegan  meadow,  and  furnished 
it  with  sufficient  nourishment  to  vitiate  the  Cochituate  water  from 
time  to  time. 

Mr.  CUTTER.  —  Dr.  Barnes  understood  the  odor  in  and  about 
Basin  No.  3  was  so  bad  that  people  passing  by  shut  the  car-win- 
dows down  ;  and  he  says  that,  if  }-ou  call  on  any  of  the  residents 


34  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.   129. 

about  there,  they  will  tell  you  it  smelt  like  a  pigpen.     We  have  a 
resident  here,  and  should  like  to  have  him  make  a  statement. 

STATEMENT   OF  SAMUEL  B.  BIRD. 

The  CHAIRMAN.  —  You  reside  there  ? 

Mr.  BIRD.  —  On  the  north  side  of  Basin  No.  3,  Framingham, 

Q.  Have  you  seen  any  trouble,  or  any  bad  effect  or  smell,  from 
the  pond? 

A.  No,  sir  ;  I  never  noticed  an}T  bad  smell  from  the  pond  since 
the  basin  was  filled.  My  cows  go  to  the  basin  every  day  for 
water,  except  in  winter,  and  we  have  used  the  water  from  the  basin 
in  washing  in  the  house.  Of  course,  the  water  has  been  warm 
which  was  used  in  washing,  and  we  never  noticed  any  bad  smell. 
When  the  water  is  very  low  there  is  a  sediment  in  the  water,  and 
it  requires  to  be  strained  before  it  is  used  in  the  house  ;  but  we 
never  noticed  any  bad  smell. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  — Do  }'ou  take  the  water  out  of  Basin  No.  3  directly 
for  domestic  purposes? 

A.    Occasionally. 

Q.   What  is  your  water  supply? 

A.  From  wells  ;  but  last  year  and  this  year  the  water  has  been 
quite  low  in  the  wells,  and  we  have  been  to  the  basin  several  times 
for  water. 

Q.  You  make  tea  and  coffee  of  it  and  drink  the  water  of  Basin 
No.  3? 

A.    No,  sir. 

Q.  Why  not? 

A.    Because  we  have  it  in  wells. 

Q.   But  when  your  well  is  low,  what  do  yon  do  then? 

A.  The  water  has  never  been  so  low  but  we  used  it  for  cooking 
purposes. 

Q.  But  you  never  noticed  the  water  dipped  from  the  margin  of 
the  pond  was  offensive  when  heated  ? 

A.    No,  sir  ;  I  never  noticed  any  bad  smell  from  it. 

Q.    Has  the  water  been  lower  in  Basin  No.  3  this  year  than 
previous  years,  leaving  a  wider  and  deeper  margin  exposed? 

A.    It  has  not  been  so  low  this  year  as  last  year,  —  at  no  time. 

Q.  Even  when  this  large  margin  was  exposed  }rou  have  not 
perceived  any  offensive  odor? 

A.    No,  sir. 

Q.    And  3'our  sense  of  smell  is  as  keen  as  most  men's? 

A.   Yes,  sir,  I  think  it  is.     It  is  within  thirty  rods  of  the  house. 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  Which  side? 

A.  On  the  north  side.  The  south  and  south-west  winds  are  the 
prevailing  winds  during  the  summer. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Have  yon  noticed  that  the  margins  or  edges  of 
the  pond  or  basin  looked  offensive  ? 

A.  The  edges  are  improving  every  year.  The  soil  is  gradually 
being  washed  down  into  the  low  places,  leaving  n  gravelly  margin. 

Q.   That  is  a  fact? 

A.   That  is  a  fact. 


APPENDIX.  35 

Q.  What  percentage  should  you  judge  had  been  washed  away, 
leaving  the  margin  gravelly? 

A.  I  could  not  give  you  an  intelligent  answer,  not  having  been 
around  the  basin  ;  but  near  my  own  house  the  border  is  almost  all 
gravelly. 

Dr.  BARNES. — Do  you  know  of  any  complaint  by  citizens  of 
Framingham  of  the  odors  from  those  basins? 

A.  I  haven't  heard  any  until  I  heard  Mr.  Lewis'  statement 
to-day.  That  is  the  first  I  heard  of  it. 

Dr.  BARNES.  —  I  wish  the  Commission  would  get  the  opinion  of 
those  living  near  Dr.  Johnson's  place.  I  cannot  summon  witnesses 
to  come  here,  I  know  very  well  there  are  gentlemen  living  there 
who  complain  of  the  smell  from  those  basins. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  You  are  quite  a  prominent  man  in  that  com- 
munity, Mr.  Bird,  —  assessor  and  member  of  the  school  board, — 
and  brought  in  contact  a  good  deal  with  people  who  live  there. 
Have  vou  heard  any  complaint  of  this  pond  being  offensive? 

A.  I  haven't  heard  anything,  except  as  I  have  heard  it  on  the 
stand  from  men  who  have  been  summoned  in  suits  against  the 
city.  I  am  familiar  with  my  neighbors  who  live  on  the  borders  of 
the  pond  ;  and  I  know  their  opinion  as  expressed  daily,  as  I  meet 
them,  in  regard  to  it.  Aside  from  witnesses  summoned  against 
the  city,  I  haven't  heard  any  complaint. 

Q.    So  that  disinterested  parties  find  no  cause  for  complaint? 

A.  No,  sir;  and  I  know  neighbors  of  mine  who  use  the  water 
almost  daily  from  the  basin  for  washing  purposes.  The  manager  of 
the  town  farm  has  been  in  the  habit  of  going  to  Basin  No.  3  for  water 
for  washing  purposes,  and  his  cattle  go  there  to  drink.  Another 
neighbor,  who  lives  within  ten  rods  of  the  basin,  uses  it  and  his 
children  play  in  it.  The}r  think  a  great  deal  of  the  water,  and  have 
never  complained  of  any  offensive  smell. 

STATEMENT  OF  T.  B.   BRIGGS,  OF   CAMBRIDGE. 

Mr.  BRIGGS.  —  I  had  the  honor,  or  dishonor,  of  writing  an  article 
in  the  Herald  some  time  ago,  which  may  undoubtedly  have  had 
something  to  do  with  this  investigation  and  hearing.  I  believe 
the  Water  Board  want  to  get  at  the  facts  in  the  case,  and  wish  to 
know  what  is  best  to  be  done.  They  do  not  wish  to  throw  away 
the  city's  money,  and  they  are  willing  to  use  the  money  of  the 
cit}r  for  the  benefit  of  the  city  when  the}'  are  convinced  it  is 
really  necessary. 

In  regard  to  cleaning  the  basins,  or  covering  them  with  concrete, 
silver,  gold,  or  glass,  I  don't  see  how  it  would  remove  the  difficulty 
so  long  as  the  source  is  polluted,  so  long  as  it  comes  from  such  a 
place  as  Sndbury  river,  with  which  I  am  pretty  well  acquainted. 
My  suggestion  or  inquiry  is  this :  whether  there  inny  not  be  some 
system  of  filtration  before  the  water  enters  the  basin,  or  enters 
the  pipes,  on  a  large  scale  of  two  hundred  feet  long  and  of  depth 
and  breadth  accordingly,  so  that  the  water  can  be  thoroughly 
filtered  before  it  comes  into  the  pipes.  Could  we  not  have  such  a 
system  ?  I  think  they  have  such  a  system  in  Connecticut,  which  is 


36  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

a  great  success.  I  could  not  give  the  facts  fully  in  regard  to  it, 
but  I  was  reading  of  it  some  time  ago.  A  very  Jarge  S3*stem  of 
filtration  was  entered  upon  and  they  found  it  was  really  a  success. 
If  we  could  have  some  such  system  as  that,  by  which  the  water 
could  be  purified,  it  seems  to  me  it  would  settle  the  whole  thing. 
I  think  the  trouble  has  been  largely  owing  to  our  dry  summers. 
They  have  had  the  same  trouble  in  New  York,  and  we  are  liable  to 
have  poor  water  at  an}*  time  unless  there  is  some  way  to  correct  this 
abuse.  I  understand  that  my  friend,  Dr.  Barnes,  who  has 
testified,  agrees  with  me  that  there  should  be  some  plan  of 
filtration. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  — Are  you  the  author  of  the  article,  of  the  18th 
of  December,  on  the  "  Water  we  Drink"  ? 

A.  No,  sir ;  that  wasn't  mine.  Mine  was  concerning  "  Sudbury 
River,  and  What  Shall  we  Drink?" 

[Adjourned  to  Tuesda}*,  Oct.  17,  at  4P.M.,  at  which  time  a  quo- 
rum of  the  Commission  did  not  appear,  on  account  of  professional 
engagements  of  some  of  the  members,  and  a  further  adjournment 
was  had,  subject  to  the  call  of  the  chairman.] 


THIRD    HEARING. 

OCTOBER  27,  1882. 

The  Commission  met  at  4  P.M.  Present  :  Messrs.  Caldwell, 
Chairman  ;  Blake,  and  Greenough. 

Dr.  Blake  read  some  letters  from  Dr.  Barnes,  Mr.  Wolcott,  of 
the  Hotel  Vendome,  and  others,  which  were  laid  on  the  table, 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Was  there  testimony  at  the  last  hearing  to  the 
effect  that  there  never  was  any  smell  ? 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  There  was  testimony  introduced  of  that^character. 
Mr.  Bird,  who  is  pretty  familiar  with  that  locality,  testified  that  no 
unpleasant  odor  was  ever  noticed  by  people  about  there  who  were 
in  a  position  to  notice  it,  if  such  existed. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  I  suppose  that  what  we  want  to  hear  to-day 
is  a  statement  from  the  Water  Board  about  the  water  supply. 

The  CHAIRMAN.  —  Is  there  anything,  Mr.  Cutter,  you  wish 


STATEMENT  OF  L.  R.  CUTTER,  CHAIRMAN  OF  THE  BOSTON  WATER 

BOARD. 

Mr.  CUTTER.  —  I  suppose  it  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  go  over  the 
whole  history  of  the  Water  Works.  I  suppose  you  gentlemen  are 
conversant  with  it. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  What  does  Dr.  Blake  think  about  that? 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  I  think  not.  I  am  quite  familiar  with  the  history 
of  the  Water  Works,  but  I  think  Mr.  Cutter  might  as  well 
sketch  the  times  when  the  water  has  been  unpleasant  to  the  taste. 

Mr.  CUTTER.  —  Of  course,  I  have  all  the  data.  The  investiga- 
tion for  a  new  source  of  supply  began  in  1871,  when  we  emploj'ed 


APPENDIX.  37 

Mr.  Joseph  P.  Davis  to  look  over  the  various  sources  of  supply, 
at  a  salaiy  of  $5,000  a  }'ear,  I  think  it  was.  He  educated  himself 
in  relation  to  the  different  rivers  and  sources  of  water  supply,  and 
reported  in  favor  of  our  taking  the  Sudbury  river.  We  did  take 
the  Sudbury  river,  under  authority  given  by  an  Act  of  the  Legisla- 
ture, and  by  subsequent  authority  of  the  City  Council,  as  recom- 
mended by  Mr.  Davis.  I  believe  I  can  state  here  that  Mr.  Davis* 
recommendations  —  I  think  every  one  of  them,  and  rny  associates 
will  correct  me  if  I  say  anything  that  is  not  correct  —  were  adopted 
by  the  Water  Board,  and  that  we  never  rejected  any  of  them.  We 
had  confidence  in  him  as  a  competent  engineer,  and  we  followe.dhis 
suggestions.  I  know  that  in  one  particular  he  suggested  to  us  the 
propriety  of  putting  in  pipes  so  we  could  connect  the  waters  of  the 
different  reservoirs  without  mixing  them  together.  He  said  it  was 
a  question  involving  about  $100,000.  and  it  was  for  the  Water 
Board  to  decide  ;  and  the  Water  Board  decided  to  put  them  in.  So 
far  as  removing  the  loam  was  concerned,  and  excavating  the  shal- 
low places,  his  recommendations  were  adopted  by  the  Water  Board, 
and  I  think  some  $30,000  were  spent  in  that  way. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Do  you  mean  to  state  that  Mr.  Davis'  rec- 
ommendations were  adopted  in  full  by  the  Water  Board? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.    As  regards  the  removal  of  the  loam  from  the  basins? 

A.  Yes,  sir.  After  the  basins  were  constructed,  the  Park 
Commissioners  wanted  some  loam,  —  that  is,  after  the  recom- 
mendations came  from  Mr.  Davis  in  regard  to  furnishing  loam 
to  the  Park  Commissioners  from  Basins  2  and  1.  Basin  3, 
I  think,  was  partly  filled,  and  Basin  1  was,  and  Basin  2 
was  not  so  full,  but  it  had  accumulated  considerable  water. 
The  dam,  I  think,  was  about  finished  at  that  time;  that  was  the 
last  one  finished.  The  Water  Board  thought  that  to  draw  the 
water  down  and  excavate  the  loam  at  that  time  would  jeopardize 
the  city's  supply  in  case  we  had  a  dry  season,  which  afterwards 
proved  correct ;  and  the  water  supply  would  have  been  jeopardized 
if  the  water  had  been  wasted  down  the  river,  and  we  had  begun 
removing  the  loam  for  park  purposes.  Of  course,  this  removal  of 
the  loam  is  a  question  —  no  one  can  tell  how  far  it  is  desirable  to 
spend  money  in  doing  it.  It  may  be  good  ;  it  may  be  of  no  good, 
excepting  the  looks  and  appearance  of  the  basins.  But,  in  Mr. 
Davis'  report,  he  says  that  he  recommends  the  construction  of  the 
dam  to  Basin  3  at  the  present  time,  while  he  thinks,  perhaps,  it 
will  be  three  years  before  the  city  would  need  the  water ;  but  that 
it  would  be  necessary  to  construct  it  so  that  the  grass,  roots,  and 
vegetation  would  have  time  to  decompose,  and  in  three  years  from 
that  time  the  city  would  need  the  water,  the  decomposition  would 
be  gone  through  with,  so  much  so  that  the  water  would  be  free  from 
pollution  from  that  source,  or  nearly  so.  But,  owing  to  the  dry 
season,  we  had  to  draw  upon  the  first  waters  we  filled  that  basin  up 
with.  Then,  again,  we  have  the  loam  in  the  shallow  places,  and 
the  quantity  of  loam  was  more  ;  and,  in  Mr.  Davis'  report,  he  rep- 
resents that  there  is  more  danger  from  that  source  in  Basin  2  than 
in  either  of  the  other  basins.  Now,  it  has  been  proved  that  the 


38  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

water  in  Basin  2  has  been  as  good,  been  freer  from  algce  and 
better  in  taste,  than  in  either  of  the  other  basins  ;  4and  }ret  there  is 
more  loam  and  more  shallow  water  there  than  there  is  in  the  other 
basins.  If  that  is  any  argument,  it  is  an  argument  to  show  that  if 
we  had  removed  the  loam  the  same  trouble  would  have  existed,  if 
you  call  it  a  trouble.  So  that  it  is  a  question  that  no  one  can  tell 
about.  But  it  does  seem  to  me  that  if  you  go  into  the  country  and 
take  river- water,  —  water  that  I,  as  a  country  boy,  would  never 
drink,  and  never  considered  fit  to  drink  up  in  the  country  where  I 
lived  the  first  twenty  years  of  my  life,  —  and  bring  it  into  the  citj', 
I  am  a  little  surprised  that  you  get  as  good  water  as  you  do. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Do  I  gather  from  what  you  say  that  you  do 
not  consider  river- water  fit  to  drink  ? 

A.  We  do  not  consider  it  fit  to  drink  in  the  country  —  country 
boys  do  not,  because  they  can  get  well  or  spring  water. 

Q.  You  were  on  the  Water  Board  at  the  time  this  river  was 
taken,  were  you  not? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  — Did  you  make  any  protest  against  it? 

A.  No,  sir.  I  consider  the  Sudbury-river  water  as  good  as  any 
river-water. 

Q.    Still,  you  consider  river-water  not  fit  to  drink? 

A.  I  did  not  say  so.  I  said  a  country  boy  wouldn't  drink  it  if 
he  could  get  anything  else.  A  country  boy  would  drink  it  if  he 
could  not  get  anything  else.  But,  then,  the  water  improves  in  the 
city.  I  think  I  can  relish  the  water  better  here  to  take  it  out  of  the 
faucet  than  to  take  it  out  of  the  basin. 

Q.  Do  you  object  to  it  as  a  country  boy  because  you  know  the 
sources  of  pollution? 

A.  I  don't  think  it  is  very  much  polluted,  except  it  is  warm 
when  it  has  been  exposed  to  the  air  considerably.  Spring-water 
coming  out  of  the  ground  has  not  been  exposed  to  the  air,  and  well- 
water  is  not  so  much  exposed  to  the  air,  and  doesn't  taste  so  well 
after  it  is  exposed.  But  I  don't  know  that  it  will  harm  anybody 
to  drink  it. 

Q.  Do  3'ou  know  that  there  is  a  prejudice  all  along  the  Sudbury 
river  against  using  the  water  in  the  country  through  which  it 
flows  ? 

A.  I  don't  know  that  that  is  a  fact.  In  relation  to  Dr.  Barnes' 
letter,  that  Dr.  Blake  just  read,  perhaps  one  word  in  relation  to 
Mr.  Bird  should  be  said.  Mr.  Bird  held  the  office  of  assessor  in 
that  town.  Now,  when  we  had  claims  for  damages  to  settle,  we 
were  forced  to  go  into  court,  and  we  cast  around  to  see  whom  we 
could  get  to  act  as  witnesses.  So  we  took  the  Board  of  Assessors 
and  summoned  them  in  against  their  own  will ;  but  they  could  not 
help  themselves,  because  they  had  assessed  the  value  of  this  prop- 
erty. When  we  got  them  upon  the  stand  they  were  the  best  wit- 
nesses we  could  get,  —  the  fairest  witnesses.  But,  as  for  Mr.  Bird 
having  been  employed  by  the  Water  Board  as  a  witness,  it  is  not 
true  in  the  sense  in  which  "employing  witnesses"  is  usually  ap- 
plied, and  unless  you  call  a  man  an  "  employed  witness  "  who  is 
summoned  to  testify  against  his  will.  Dr.  Barnes  alludes  to  Mr. 


APPENDIX.  39 

Johnson,  who  had  suits  against  the  city  and  wanted  a  large  amount 
of  damages,  and  we  didn't  think  he  should  have  so  much. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH. —  I  do  not  suppose  the  Board  wish  to  state 
that  there  never  has  been  any  smell  from  any  of  those  basins,  do 
they  ? 

A.  They  do  not  wish  to  state  that  there  has  been  no  smell  from 
the  gate-house  where  the  water  has  been  drawn  out,  of  course,  for 
we  have  experienced  it  there.  There  are  strata  of  gases  in  waters, 
which  emit  bad  odors,  and  they  have  been  found  also  in  Lake 
Cochituate.  At  a  certain  time,  at  a  certain  depth  down,  when  you 
draw  the  water  off,  it  would  smell. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  The  Dr.  Johnson  referred  to  in  this  letter  is  in 
West  Springfield  street? 

A.   I  have  no  doubt  it  is  the  son  of  the  same  man. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  — Do  you  consider  the  water  in  Boston  good 
water  to-day? 

A.  I  consider  the  water  good  water.  I  have  used  it  always. 
When  my  folks  come  down  from  the  country-house,  where  we  have 
a  country  well  of  as  nice  water  as  anybody,  we  drink  this  water 
down  here,  and  my  people  don't  complain  of  it  at  all. 

Q.    You  are  on  the  high  service,  I  believe? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.  There  has  been  considerable  difference  between  the  water  on 
the  high  service  and  that  on  the  low  service? 

A.    In  different  localities  there  seems  to  be  a  difference  ;  }*es. 

Q.  Now,  I  am  on  the  low  service,  and  in  the  water  I  find  in  my 
house  there  is  a  distinct  muddy  taste.  It  is  not  as  offensive  as  the 
sponge  or  cucumber  taste,  but  there  is  an  unpleasant  taste  in  the 
water.  I  should  like  to  know  to  what  you  attribute  that. 

A.  Well,  I  could  say  this  much :  In  the  country,  in  the  spring 
of  the  year,  when  the  frost  is  coming  out  of  the  ground  and  leav- 
ing the  territory,  there  is  a  sort  of  taste  in  the  brooks  which  we  boys 
used  to  call  a  sticker  taste,  or  frog  taste,  —  a  sort  of  ground  taste. 
At  that  time  the  fish  began  to  leave  the  ponds  and  run  up  the 
streams.  In  the  fall  of  the  3Tear,  when  the  frost  begins  to  come  and 
the  temperature  to  change,  that  taste  is  perceptible  then.  It  is  a 
kind  of  ground  overflow,  as  you  might  call  it.  It  tastes  something 
like  this  green  frog  spew,  as  the  boys  call  it,  in  the  country,  that 
gathers  in  your  trough,  and  it  gathers  in  spring-water  as  well  as 
river-water,  and  the  smell  is  just  the  same  as  this. 

Q.  But  there  is  a  muddy  taste  and  discoloration  of  the  water 
also.  The  water  coming  from  the  low  service  now  is  3*ellowish. 

A.  The  water  coming  now  is  none  of  the  water  from  Basin  3 ; 
but  it  is  from  Basin  2. 

Q.   I  know  it ;  but  it  is  not  good  water. 

A.  It  is  the  river-water  and  has  that  color  when  it  runs  into  the 
basin.  I  don't  think  it  has  any  more  color  than  when  it  leaves  the 
basin.  Now,  last  spring,  when  they  began  to  complain  of  the 
water,  — or  some  of  them  did,  —  I  tasted  it  myself  and  followed 
it  up  pretty  closely,  and  about  every  morning  when  I  got  up  I 
tasted  it  before  I  tasted  anything  else ;  and  we  sent  up  and  got  a 
sample  from  the  gate-house,  and  we  also  sent  up  to  an  old  pond, 


40  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

Mr.  Rice's  pond,  on  the  same  stream,  less  than  a  half  a  mile  above 
and  got  a  sample  ;  and  then  we  sent  up  to  a  brook  which  leads  into 
them,  and  of  those  three  samples  the  brook  tasted  the  worst  of  the 
three. 

Q.    What  was  the  taste  ? 

A.  Well,  it  was  a  sort  of  meadow-water  taste.  It  tasted  as  if 
the  water  had  run  a  considerable  ways  in  meadow  land. 

Q.    Was  it  free  from  algce? 

A.  No  ;  it  was  this  spring  before  the  algce  commenced  to  grow. 
The  water  seemed  to  be  improved  in  Rice's  pond,  and  also  in  Basin 
No.  3.  The  water  all  comes  through  Rice's  pond  to  Basin  No.  3. 

Mr.  SAWYER.  —  I  believe  we  thought  there  were  some  algce  in 
the  water  at  that  time  ? 

Mr.  CUTTER.  —  In  the  brook- water  it  was  a  little  more  colored. 

Q.   But  this  best  water? 

A.    No  ;  I  never  saw  any  algce  as  I  know  of. 

Q.   I  thought  we  saw  the  algce  there  ? 

A.  That  was  before  the  algce  began  to  grow,  I  think ;  I  don't 
remember.  We  saw  that  the  brook-water  was  not  quite  so  free  of 
motes. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  I  understand  3-011  to  say  that  the  water  from 
which  Basin  No.  3  was  fed  was  a  little  worse  than  the  brook- 
water  ? 

A.  Yes,  sir ;  I  think  it  is  called  Angle  brook.  It  comes  down 
through  considerable  meadow  land  this  side  of  Marlborongh. 

Q.  What  do  }*ou  consider  to  be  the  purity  of  the  Sudbmy-river 
supply  as  to  sewage  ?  Do  you  consider  that  there  is  any  sewage 
coining  into  the  river? 

A.  Of  course  ;  there  is  a  great  deal  of  sewage,  more  or  less, 
running  into  all  rivers ;  but  I  do  not  think  there  is  any  great 
amount  going  into  Sudbury  river.  It  runs  through  a  kind  of  terri- 
tory—  Hopkinton,  Woodville,  and  other  places  —  where  there  is 
not  a  great  deal  of  pollution  from  sewage.  If  there  are  any 
sources  of  pollution,  we  have  a  report  of  them  from  the  engineer, 
Mr.  Ftele}%  in  our  office.  Mr.  Merriam  has  a  woollen  mill  from 
which  there  is  some  pollution,  on  the  Sudbuiy,  in  Cordaville. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Where  does  the  sewage  from  the  Women's  State 
prison  at  Sherburne  find  its  way? 

A.    It  finds  its  way  down  to  Lake  Cochituate. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  So  far  as  sewage  goes,  Sudbury  river  is 
cleaner  than  Lake  Cochituate? 

A.  I  should  think  there  is  a  good  deal  less  sewage  in  the  Sud- 
bury than  in  Lake  Cochituate,  because  Natick  and  Pegan  brook 
are  the  worst  sources  of  sewage  that  we  have. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  For  sources  of  contamination  we  have  Pegan 
brook,  Cochituate  village,  part  of  South  Frarningham,  and  the 
Women's  prison? 

A.    South  Framingham  runs  into  Farm  pond. 

Q.    But  the  others  ? 

A.  The  others  run  into  Lake  Cochituate.  The  Women's  prison 
has  not  been  so  bad  for  two  years  past ;  I  believe  the  State  has 
spent  twenty  or  thirty  thousand  dollars  there  in  utilizing  the  sew- 


APPENDIX.  41 

age  or  purifying  it,  so  that  they  think  it  does  not  harm  our 
water. 

Mr.  GREENOUGII.  —  That  is  all  strained  out  before  it  passes  into 
the  brook  which  runs  into  Lake  Cochituate? 

Mr.  CUTTER.  —  Yes,  sir. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  — What  is  the  process  of  filtration? 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  It  is  used  in  irrigation.  I  haven't  seen  it, 
but  I  think  the  water  in  the  brook  shows  no  sign  of  sewage. 

Mr.  CUTTER.  —  No  :  I  do  not  think  it  shows  any  sign  of  sewage. 
Sometimes  we  think  perhaps  there  is  a  little  bead  on  the  water 
like  frost. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Has  it  ever  been  anatyzed? 

A.  No ;  I  do  not  think  there  lias  been  an  analysis  of  it  since 
the  State  has  spent  that  money. 

Q.  Do  you  notice  any  change  in  the  Sudbury-river  water  to-day 
from  what  it  was  when  the  city  first  took  it?  Is  it  more  highly 
colored,  or  does  it  taste  different? 

A.  I  could  not  say.  It  rather  looks  fully  as  high  colored  as 
the  first  time  %yon  saw  it. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  You  were  on  the  Board  when  the  Sudbury 
river  was  taken  ? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

0.  You  expected  at  that  time  that  the  water  from  Sudbury 
river  would  have  that  high  color? 

A.  I  think  it  was  understood  that  storing  it  in  the  basins  would 
bleach  it  out. 

Q.    Has  it  been  bleached  out? 

A.  I  do  not  think  it  is  as  yellow  as  it  is  when  it  comes  in, 
especially  after  it  comes  from  the  reservoir  at  Chestnut  Hill. 

Q.  The  reservoirs  at  Chestnut  Hill  are  entirely  filled  with  water 
from  Sudbury  river? 

A.    Not  necessarily  so. 

Q.    More  so  than  the  Brookline  reservoir? 

A.    Yes,  sir;  more  than  the  Brookline  reservoir. 

Q.    Is  there  any  muddy  deposit  in  the  reservoirs  at  Chestnut  Hill  ? 

A.  Not  much,  to  our  knowledge.  We  cleaned  out  the  Brook- 
line  reservoir  two  }'ears  ago.  We  thought  we  should  find  some 
fish  and  sediment  in  it,  but  we  were  surprised  to  find  it  was  so 
clean  ;  and,  in  fact,  it  did  not  pay  to  clean  it  out,  except  that  we  had 
a  chance  to  repair  our  conduit  around  to  it  and  bind  it  up,  which  it 
seemed  to  need.  One  man  said  he  would  give  us  two  hundred 
dollars  for  the  fish  that  were  there  ;  but  the  fish  we  got  did  not 
amount  to  airything ;  we  didn't  get  two  bushels  full,  to  my 
knowledge. 

Q.   That  basin  has  always  been  filled  from  Cochituate  water? 

A.    Not  always. 

Q.  Practically,  there  never  has  been  anything  there  except 
Cochituate  water? 

A.    Probably  more  so  a  great  deal  than  the  Sudbury. 

[At  this  point  the  Ctty  Engineer  produced  two  glasses  of  water, 
one  from  the  high  and  the  other  from  the  low  service.  Upon  the 
samples  being  tasted  it  appeared  that  the  one  from  the  low  service 


42  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

had  a  strong  taste  of  mud,  and  that  from  the  high  service  was  free 
from  such  a  taste.]  ^ 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  But  the  water  in  Lake  Cochituate  is  clear  ; 
there  are  no  algce  in  it? 

Mr.  CUTTER.  —  We  have  had  it  shut  off  since  we  have  had 
basins  to  supply  the  city.  We  have  had  to  shut  off  Lake  Cochitu- 
ate from  some  time  in  January  to  some  time  in  July  —  I  think 
that  was  in  1880  —  because  of  the  cucumber  taste.  Then  we  had 
to  shut  off  the  Bradlee  basin  some  five  years  ago,  for  some  three 
months,  I  think,  in  the  winter,  because  it  had  a  strong  cucumber 
or  very  bad  taste  ;  but  that  came  around  all  right,  and  so  did  Lake 
Cochituate,  and  we  did  not  have  to  waste  the  water. 

Q.  .  This  water  you  are  now  supplying  to  us  comes  from  Basin 
2? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.  That  is  as  good  water  as  we  can  expect  to  have  from  the 
low  service? 

A.    Not  necessarily  so. 

Q.  That  water  is  comparatively  clean,  although  it  has  a  slight 
tinge  ? 

A.  We  are  not  obliged  to  supply  the  low  service  with  that 
water.  We  can  supply  it  to  the  Brookline  reservoir,  and  can 
supply  Chestnut  Hill  with  the  lake-water,  if  we  choose. 

Q.  Well,  the  main  supply  being  drawn  from  the  Sudbury  river, 
that  water  is  as  good  as  we  can  expect  to  get  from  the  Sudbuiy 
river,  is  it  not? 

A.  I  could  not  say  how  much  better  it  will  grow,  but  I  suppose 
it  is  as  good  as  you  can  get  to-day. 

Mr.  SAWYER.  — Does  Mr.  Greenough  mean  to  ask  if  what  we 
get  from  Basin  2  is  as  good  as  we  can  expect  to  get  from  Sudbury 


river 


Mr.  CUTTER. — No;  whether  the  water  we  get  from  Sudbuiy 
river  is  as  good  as  we  can  expect  to  get. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  You  detect  the  mudd}^  taste  in  that  water? 

Mr.  CUTTER. — No,  not  appreciably.  If  you  should  hand  that 
to  me  in  the  dark  I  don't  think  I  should  distinguish  it.  But  I  see 
there  is  a  trifle  difference. 

Q.    Do  you  consider  that  satis  factor}''  water? 

A.  I  consider  it  satisfactory  if  you  cannot  get  any  better.  If 
you  could,  we  should  like  to  have  it. 

Q.  Do  3'ou  think  it  is  as  satisfactory  water  as  can  be  got  from 
Sudbury  river? 

A.  I  think  if  that  water  could  remain  longer  in  the  reservoir 
it  would  be  better.  We  are  drawing  it  now  pretty  fresh  from  the 
stream. 

Q.  That  is  to  say,  if  our  supply  was  more  ample,  so  that  the 
water  could  be  allowed  to  stand  longer,  then  the  water  would  im- 
prove ? 

A.  Yes,  sir ;  if  we  had  our  different  dams  constructed  so  we 
would  not  be  obliged  to  draw  from  a  basin  that  takes  the  water 
direct  from  the  river,  it  would  improve  the  water. 


APPENDIX.  43 

Q.  The  water  would  improve  if  the  supply  was  increased  or  the 
demand  diminished? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Dr.   BLAKE. —  Or  the  number  of  reservoirs  increased? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  But  your  recommendation  is  now  that  the 
city  should  decrease  the  consumption,  rather  than  increase  the 
supply  ? 

A.    No  ;  it  is  to  increase  the  supply. 

Q.  I  read  in  your  report  that  it  was  desirable  for  the  city  to  de- 
crease the  consumption. 

A.  But  we  recommended  the  construction  of  an  additional 
basin. 

Q.  After  Basin  4  is  finished,  that  it  would  be  advisable  to 
secure  the  land  for  another  basin? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  you  give,  as  a  recommendation  of  the  Water  Board, 
now,  both  the  increasing  of  the  supply  and  diminishing  the  con- 
sumption ? 

A.   Yes,  sir  ;  that  is  our  duty. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Have  you  been  able  to  demonstrate  that  allowing 
water  to  stand  along  time  —  two  or  three  years  —  would  render 
it  more  satisfactory  and  improve  the  taste  and  color? 

A.  I  think  so,  from  the  fact  that  Lake  Cochituate  is  of  a  better 
color  and  the  taste  is  different. . 

Q.    Its  source  is  different? 

A.    It  has  brooks  running  into  it. 

Q.    Its  bottom  is  different  ? 

A.  Yes  ;  but  there  is  Pegan  brook  running  into  it.  It  has  more 
pollution  running  into  it  than  the  river. 

Q.   But  it  is  not  river-water? 

A.   No,  sir  ;  it  is  spring-water. 

Q.    And  it  has  been  quite  clear  and  almost  tasteless  ? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And,  on  the  contrary,  Sudbury  river  has  always  been  brown 
and  highly  colored  ? 

A.  Yes,  sir.  I  think  that  where  I  live  I  don't  experience  any 
such  trouble  as  Dr.  Barnes  has  had  about  trouble  in  the  tanks.  I 
live  on  Hancock  street,  about  half  way  between  Derne  and  Cam- 
bridge streets.  It  is  about  the  lowest  part  of  the  high  service. 
We  use  the  pipe  so  little  that  the  water  which  comes  into  our  house 
is  comparatively  free  from  sediment.  That  is  the  reason  I  get  so 
much  better  water  than  you  do  in  your  street,  Mr.  Greenough. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Still,  the  high  service  is  supplied  from  Co- 
chituate ? 

A.    More  so. 

Q.  And  when  that  fishy  taste  was  so  prevalent  last  year,  if  I 
remember  aright,  the  high  service  did  not  experience  but  a  little 
of  it? 

A.    We  only  had  it  two  days. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  That  was  simply  from  the  lifting  of  the  gate, 

that  is  all. 


44  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  As  a  matter  of  fact,  when  the  city  was  com- 
plaining last  year  of  the  cucumber  taste,  the  high  service  did  not 
experience  it.  Both  the  members  of  the  Water  Board  who  live  on 
the  high  service  did  not  appreciate  the  character  of  the  water  the 
people  were  drinking,  and  it  seems  that  Mr.  Wightraan  gave  them 
a  taste  of  it. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  I  believe  the  Chairman  of  the  Water  Board 
did  not  like  it. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  I  want  to  ask  you,  Mr.  Cutter,  whether,  as 
Chairman  of  the  Water  Board,  you  think  the  laws  in  regard  to  the 
purification  of  the  water  suppty  are  satisfactory  ;  and,  if  not,  why 
not? 

A.  No,  sir ;  they  are  not  satisfactory  to  me.  I  think  we  ought 
to  have  a  law  that  will  prohibit  bathing  to  a  considerable  deuree, 
and  also  to  prohibit  boating  to  such  an  extent  that  the  Water 
Board  ought  to  license  all  boats,  because  boats  used  by  bo}'S  and 
people  that  do  fishing  nearly  always  have  bad  water  in  them  that 
makes  a  nuisance.  Then  I  think  we  ought  to  have  a  pretty  strong 
law,  to  prevent  pollution.  We  have  a  law  that  is  pretty  strong 
until  we  come  to  a  jury.  We  can  go  to  the  State  Board  of  Health, 
and  we  did  go  against  the  town  of  Natick,  and  took  five  of  our  best 
cases,  and  the  Board  gave  us  the  case,  and  enjoined  them.  Then 
they  appealed  to  a  jury  and  we  had  a  trial  in  the  Town  Hall,  which 
was  filled  with  people  from  about  there,  and  the  sheriff  ruled  in 
their  favor,  and  we  had  no  show  at  all,  and  the  case  was  decided 
against  us.  The  sheriff  ruled  that  if  the  water  was  not  good  when 
running  into  the  other  end  of  the  lake,  where  it  went  out  to  go  to 
Boston  it  was  allgood.  Then  we  took  an  appeal  to  the  Supreme 
Court,  which  decided  in  our  favor  ;  but  the  Court  did  not  enlighten 
us.  We  had  taken  an  exception,  and  contended  that  the  Board  of 
Health  should  be  present  when  this  trial  before  the  sheriff's  jury 
took  place  ;  but  they  were  not  notified  to  be  present.  The  Supreme 
Court  took  that  one  item  and  decided  it  in  our  favor,  and  left  all 
the  other  items  undecided.  The  law  is  that  we  enjoin  the  indi- 
viduals, and  not  real  estate,  and,  therefore,  all  they  have  to  do  is  to 
change  tenants  and  owners,  and  they  slip  out  of  our  hands  again. 
So  the  law  is  not  very  effective. 

Q.  You  consider,  as  Chairman  of  the  Water  Board,  that  you 
have  taken  all  the  measures  }'ou  can  to  purify  the  water  supply, 
but  you  are  prevented  from  being  successful  from  the  lack  of  a 
proper  law  ? 

A.  We  certainly  have  exercised  all  the  zeal  in  our  power  in  that 
respect. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  So  3*ou  have  no  additional  recommendations  to 
make  or  suggest  toward  improving  the  quality  of  the  water  ? 

A.  Of  course,  we  should  recommend  a  different  law  ;  but  we  are 
met  by  saying,  that  if  we  go  up  to  the  Legislature  and  recommend 
a  different  law,  we  will  not  get  as  good  as  we  have  got.  In  our  ex- 
perience up  there,  it  has  proved  somewhat  so.  Maiden  suffered 
by  people  trotting  horses  on  their  ice  in  Spot  pond  after  the  snow 
had  gone.  They  would  go  out  there  with  four  or  five  hundred 
sleighs  and  trot  on  the  pond,  and  when  there  came  a  thaw  the 


APPENDIX.  45 

water  on  the  top  of  the  ice  would  be  of  the  color  of  coffee.  They 
wanted  to  prohibit  that,  and  came  to  us,  and  we  said  we  would  also 
like  to  prohibit  bathing  in  the  waters  used  for  our  supply.  They  said 
they  would  add  that  on.  We  went  up  there  and  worked  together. 
Finally,  they  came  to  me  and  said  if  we  didn't  leave  off  that  bath- 
ing clause  we  should  not  get  anything,  and  if  we  left  it  out  the 
other  would  go  through.  Of  course  we  would  rather  take  a  half 
loaf  than  none  at  all,  and  we  left  it  out ;  and  of  course  we  got  it. 
That  was  on  Spot  pond,  which  is  the  supply  for  Maiden. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  It  wouldn't  do  you  any  good  at  all? 

A.  It  did  us  so  much  good  that  prospectively  they  cannot  trot  on 
Lake  Cochitnate  or  Farm  pond. 

Q.    They  never  did  do  that? 

A.   No  ;  not  to  am-  extent. 

Q.  Have  you  anything  else  that  you  wish  to  state,  to  go  on 
record  from  }T>ur  Board? 

A.   Any  suggestions? 

Q.  Any  suggestions  or  any  statement  in  regard  to  the  taste  and 
character  of  the  water  supplied  to-day.  You  are  aware,  of 
course,  that  the  Water  Board  has  been  criticised  in  the  papers 
and  by  the  public.  Have  you  anything  you  wish  to  say  in  answer 
to  that? 

A.  Well,  in  answer  to  that  I  can  say  that  the  water  of  Boston 
is  as  good  as  that  of  any  other  city  in  the  United  States, 
and  will  average  as  good,  if  not  better.  You  must  know  that  when 
we  are  called  upon  to  furnish  forty  millions  of  gallons  every  day, 
we  cannot  strain  it  and  filter  it  every  day  before  we  let  them  have 
it,  because  the  quantity  is  too  large.  But  we  have  done  the  very 
best,  under  the  circumstances,  that  we  could,  and  have  acted  honest- 
ly and  done  the  best  we  could  with  the  facilities  we  had  to  work 
with.  We,  of  course,  might  have  gone  to  work  and  spent  $  100, 000 
in  removing  the  loam,  and,  sentimentally,  we  would  stand  better  to 
day;  but,  in  a  practical,  business  point  of  view,  I  am  not  sure 
we  haven't  saved  the  cit}'  $100,000,  because  the  water  might  not 
be  better,  for  the  evidence  to-day  is  that  Basin  2  is  better  than  the 
water  that  goes  into  it. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  If  you  were  going  to  work  to  prepare  a  system  to 
better  the  water,  how  would  you  go  to  work  to  store  it  if  you  had 
to  save  the  rain-water  and  store  it  for  some  time?  Would  you 
cement  the  sides  of  the  basins,  or  leave  them  open  clay? 

A.  We  should  have  to  cement  them  to  hold  the  water  in.  I 
suppose  3'onr  question  is,  whether  I  thought  a  muddy  bottom  would 
improve  the  water.  Now,  Mr.  Norman  sa}'s  the  best  water  is  found 
where  the  bottom  is  muddy.  He  has  had  as  much  to  do  with  water 
as  anybody  in  this  country.  The  fact  that  the  Lawrence  basin  is 
muddy,  and  the  water  never  tasted  bad,  and  the  Bradlee  basin  be- 
ing gravelly  and  the  water  tasting  bad,  corroborates  his  statement. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  — That  would  depend  upon  whether  the  water  which 
entered  these  basins  was  pure  in  character. 

A.  It  went  into  the  Lawrence  basin  first,  and  from  that  into  the 
Bradlee  basin,  and  both  came  from  Lake  Cochituate. 

Q.    It  doesn't  seem  to  me  quite  reasonable  to  suppose  that  a 


46  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

great,  powerful  solvent  like  water  is  not  going  to  dissolve  organic 
matter  and  hold  it  in  solution.  I  think  it  might  as  well  be  ad- 
mitted here  that  it  does  affect  its  taste  to  some  extent. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH. — I  was  going  to  ask  Mr.  Cutter  something  to 
that  effect,  and  also  Mr.  Wightman.  What  do  }'ou  consider  to  be 
the  effect  upon  water  when  it  is  first  let  into  these  basins?  Doesn't 
it  take  a  considerable  amount  of  vegetable  matter? 

Mr.  CUTTER.  —  I  never  supposed  3*011  could  get  as  good  water 
from  a  new  basin  as  you  could  from  an  old  one. 

Q.  How  old  ought  a  basin  to  be  for  the  decomposition  to  go 
through  with? 

A.    I  should  say  three  years,  certainly. 

Q.    You  advise  the  building  of  the  basins  ahead? 

A.   Before  we  want  the  water. 

Q.  But,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  you  have  been  obliged  to  use  the 
basins  as  soon  as  they  are  done? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.    When  were  Basins  2  and  3  constructed,  do  3*011  remember? 

A.  Basin  2  was  the  last  one  filled,  in  the  fall  of  1879  and  spring 
of  1879.  Basins  3  and  1  were  filled  the  year  previous. 

Q.  Well,  now,  you  expect  to  give  us  the  water  from  Basin  4  as 
soon  as  it  is  completed  ? 

A.    Not  unless  we  have  a  diy  season. 

Q.  What  do  3*011  expect  is  to  become  of  that  water?  Basin  4  is 
on  the  Sudbury  river,  is  it  not? 

A.  Yes,  sir.  I  think  the  water  will  purify  itself  if  allowed  to 
stand  long  enough? 

Q.   You  cannot  run  that  water  to  waste  except  through  Basin  2  ? 

A.   No,  sir. 

Q.  What  do  3*ou  expect  will  take  place  in  that  basin  after  it  is 
filled  with  water? 

A.  I  expect  the  same  effects  in  that  basin  as  you  see  in  Basin  3, 
—  that  the  algce  will  grow  in  it. 

Q.    At  first? 

A.  Yes.  I  don't  know  what  will  cause  the  algce  to  grow  ;  no- 
body knows ;  because  we  have  seen  algce  grow  in  old  ponds  where 
no  sewage  goes  into  them,  nor  any  filth.  We  see  them  grow  in 
pure  spring  water,  up  here  in  Woburn,  and  we  see  it  pumped  up 
from  the  spring. 

Q.  Why  do  you  think  the  water  is  going  to  be  any  better  after 
tying  there  for  three  years? 

A.  Because  I  think  the  vegetation  will  decompose,  and  the 
grass  and  roots  and  everything  of  that  kind  die.  Of  course  we 
cleaned  out  Basin  3  and  burned  it  out  as  best  we  could,  with  the 
exception  of  scraping  out  the  loam  and  gravel ;  but  so  far  as  the 
vegetation  was  concerned  it  was  all  cut  and  burned.  But  it  was  a 
dry  season. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  You  not  only  had  the  decomposition,  but  the 
settling  and  precipitation  of  this  matter  to  the  bottom? 

A.    I  suppose  the  impurities  settled  to  the  bottom. 

Q.  And  if  you  have  it  stand  long  enough  that  is  the  process  you 
expect  ? 


APPENDIX.  47 

A.  Yes,  sir ;  but  I  am  not  a  scientific  man,  and  cannot  tell  ex- 
actly. 

Q.  I  know  ;  but  you  understand  that  process  very  well.  If  3*011 
have  a  small  amount  of  clay  or  earth,  or  anything  in  that  water, 
let  it  rest  long  enough,  and  the  thing  settles,  and  then  you  hope  to 
draw  the  water  above  that? 

A.  Yes,  sir.  It  is  like  drawing  a  pitcher  of  water  in  St.  Louis  ; 
if  you  let  it  stand  the  gravel  in  it  settles  to  the  bottom  of  the 
pitcher. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  And  then  the  exposure  to  the  air  brings  about 
purification? 

Mr.  G-KEENOUGH.  — Then  what  you  say  is  practically  this  :  that, 
in  your  judgment,  a  basin  ought  to  stand  three  years  before  the 
water  is  used? 

Mr.    CUTTER.  —  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  you  have  never  been  able  to  let  it  stand  at  all,  before 
this  ? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  if  nothing  is  done  to  decrease  the  consumption  you  will 
find  it  necessary  to  use  the  basins  as  soon  as  constructed  ? 

A.  Yes,  sir,  unless  we  have  a  wet  season  ;  in  such  a  season  as 
we  have  had  for  the  last  three  years. 

Q.   And  if  the  consumption  keeps  on  at  its  present  rate? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Then  .your  views  remain  unchanged,  that  we  have 
no  reason  to  expect  an  improvement  in  the  quality  of  the  water  in 
the  near  future  ? 

A.  I  think  the  water  will  improve  in  these  new  basins  already 
constructed. 

Q.    How  can  it  improve  in  the  basins? 

A.  From  the  very  fact  that  most  of  the  basins  have  now  been 
constructed  three  years. 

Mr.  GREENOUGII.  —  The  water  in  Basin  No.  3  is  as  bad  to-day 
as  it  ever  was? 

A.    No,  I  do  not  think  it  is  as  bad  to-day  as  it  was  last  season. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Is  it  not  as  bad  to-dajr  as  it  was  last  summer? 

A.  No,  for  the  reason  that  we  were  obliged  to  draw  it  down  last 
summer,  which  naturally  had  a  bad  effect  on  the  water. 

Q.  But  you  are  au  expert  in  water  ;  isn't  it  yoni'  opinion  that  if 
you  could  allow  the  water  to  stand  in  those  basins  to  some  extent, 
it  would  prevent  the  disagreeable  effects  which  follow  the  exposure 
of  those  margins  to  a  high  temperature? 

A.    I  tliink  the  absence  of  the  sun's  rays  would  prevent  it. 

Q.  80  that  if  we  had  a  sufficient  number  of  basins  to  allow  the 
water  to  stand  during  the  summer,  and  could,  in  the  meantime, 
get  our  water  supply  from  some  other  source,  we  might  not  expe- 
rience the  same  result  in  hot  weather? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 


48  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 


STATEMENT  OF    CITY  ENGINEER    H.  M.  WIGIITMAN.  —  Continued. 

i 

Mr.  WIGIITMAN.  —  There  have  been  certain  questions  asked  by 
this  Commission  which  I  have  answered,  and  have  since  taken  the 
pains  to  got  at  more  accurately. 

This  question  of  shallow  flowage  seems  to  be  one  that  by  gen- 
eral consent  influences  the  quality  of  water  as  much  as  any  other. 
I  really  do  not  know  how  to  avoid  it,  except  at  large  expense. 
You  may  take  any  large  pond,  or  large  lake,  and  it  always  has 
more  or  less  of  this  shallow  flowage,  and  usually  the  percentage 
would  not  vary  as  much  as  would  be  supposed. 

I  presume  this  Commission,  and  the  Water  Board  too,  would  have 
an  idea  that  Lake  Cochituate  had  very  much  less  shallow  flowage 
than  any  basin  in  the  Sudbury.  But  the  fact  of  the  matter  is,  it 
has  not  so  very  much  less  as  you  would  suppose.  I  have  had 
some  figures  made  showing  the  percentage  of  shallow  flowage  in 
Lake  Cochituate,  Basins  Nos.  1  and  2  ;  Basin  No.  4  I  have  not  got. 

In  Lake  Cochituate  the  water  area  at  high-water  mark  we  call 
800  acres.  The  shallow  flowage  line  I  have  assumed  to  be  at  5 
feet  in  depth,  as  anything  lower  than  that  would  be  quite  shallow  ; 
and  the  average  is  184  acres  of  shallow  flowage,  or  23  per  cent, 
of  the  total  water  area. 

Basin  No.  1,  149  acres,  averages  58  acres  of  shallow  flowage, 
which  would  make  38^  per  cent.  That  basin  has  the  most  shal- 
low flowage  of  any.  We  have  never  considered  that  basin  a  proper 
source  to  draw  from  except  in  case  of  an  emergenc}'.  It  was  a 
necessity  to  put  it  there,  because  we  had  to  commence  the  conduit 
at  that  point.  But  the  basin  never  was  considered  by  Mr.  Davis 
as  a  very  desirable  one  to  build  ;  but  it  was  built  as  a  necessary 
part  of  the  scheme. 

Basin  No.  2  has  136  acres,  31  of  which  are  shallow  flowage, 
which  is  23  per  cent.,  or  22.81  of  the  total  area. 

You  see  that  Lake  Cochituate  and  Basin  No.  2  are  veiy  nearly 
alike. 

I  made  a  statement  that  there  is  as  much  shallow  flowage  in 
proportion  to  area  in  Basin  No.  3  as  there  is  in  Basin  No.  2,  but 
that  is  not  quite  correct.  In  Basin  No.  3  there  are  283  acres, 
with  a  shallow  flowage  of  79  acres,  which  makes  27.9  per  cent. 

You  see  Lake  Cochituate  has  23  per  cent. ;  Basin  No.  1,  38.9 
per  cent.  ;  Basin  No.  2,  28.81  per  cent.,  and  Basin  No.  3  has  27.9 
per  cent.  Basin  No.  4  will  have  much  less  than  that,  even  less 
than  Lake  Cochituate. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Supposing  that  5  feet  to  be  8  or  9  feet,  how 
would  it  be  affected? 

A.  I  think  the  same  proportions  would  hold,  except  in  Basin 
No.  1,  where  it  would  be  very  largely  increased. 

Q.  Is  there  not  a  very  large  amount  in  Basin  No.  3  which 
would  be  left  with  very  little  water  on  it  at  five  feet? 

A.  No,  there  is  not  a  very  large  amount  of  it.  I  do  not  think 
it  would  increase  that  percentage. 

Now.  as  regards  this  question  of  ofr/ce,  about  which  I  have  been 
askecl  some  questions  by  the  Commission.  The  matter  has  been 


APPENDIX.  49 

pretty  thoroughly  investigated  by  scientific  men.  While  I  think 
their  opinion  is  that  it  is  generally  caused  by  the  shallow  flowage, 
I  do  not  think  with  many  of  them  that  it  is  caused  solely  by  shallow' 
flowage.  At  any  rate,  Lake  Cochituate  is  quoted  as  being  a  pure 
source  of  supply  ;  and  yet  it  has  as  much  shallow  flowage  as  Basin 
No.  2,  and  within  five  per  cent,  of  the  shallow  flowage  of  Basin 
No.  3. 

As  regards  algce,  I  have  known  Lake  Cochituate  twentj'-five 
years,  and  there  have  not  been  three  years  out  of  the  twenty-five 
that  I  have  not  been  there,  and  I  have  never  known  any  year  that 
the  algce  were  not  in  the  lake,  —  in  some  portion  or  the  whole  of  it,  — 
and  usually  it  would  occur  twice  a  year ;  not  always,  but  usually 
it  would  occur  twice  in  the  year. 

As  regards  Farm  pond,  of  which  so  much  has  been  said  to 
this  Commission  by  Dr.  Barnes,  who  thinks  the  appearance  of  the 
algce  dates  from  the  introduction  of  the  Sudburj'-river  water,  there 
are  old  residents  of  Framingham,  who  have  lived  on  the  borders 
of  this  pond  for  years,  who  can  furnish  information  that  that  pond 
has  always  been  affected  by  algce.  There  is  one  gentleman  living 
on  the  border  of  the  pond  who  has  known  about  the  presence  of 
algce  for  forty  years.  I  think  he  would  testify  to  this  Commission 
that  there  has  been  no  year  in  forty  years  that  there  have  not  been 
algce  in  the  pond.  Lake  Cochituate  and  Farm  pond  are  natural 
ponds,  and  also  Horn  pond,  which  is  largely  a  source  of  supply .  I 
suppose  the  water  of  Horn  pond  has  a  reputation  all  over  the  world  ; 
it  has  been  shipped  everywhere  in  the  shape  of  ice.  It  is  a  pond 
of  one  hundred  acres,  with  an  average  depth  of  twenty  feet.  Yet 
the  first  trouble  we  had  with  algce  originated  in  Horn  pond,  and 
was  localized  there,  and  drifted  down  to  Wedge  pond,  and  from 
there  into  the  Upper  Mystic.  There  have  never  been  any  in  the 
Abajonna  river,  but  I  have  no  doubt  they  have  been  in  the  ponds 
there. 

Mr.  GKEENOUGH.  — Algce  do  not  occur  in  running  water? 

A.  Apparently  not,  to  any  extent.  There  are  at  least  a  dozen 
kinds  of  algce.  The  report  of  the  State  Board  of  Health  of  1879 
has  a  very  able  paper  by  Dr.  Farlow,  giving  their  names  and 
showing  the  great  variety  of  them.  The  algce  causing  this 
trouble  can  be  classed  among  the  Nostoc  family.  I  do  not  think 
anybody  knows  whether  the  presence  of  these  algce  is  injurious 
to  health  ;  no  scientist  of  reputation  has  yet  been  prepared  to  state 
positively  that  it  was. 

As  regards  these  algce  in  Basin  No.  3,  there  is  rather  a  curious 
thing  about  that,  which,  perhaps,  illustrates  what  Mr.  Cutter  says, 
and  which  is  the  generally  received  opinion  among  engineers,  that 
in  building  a  basin  of  that  kind  the  water  should  be  stored  two  or 
three  years  before  it  is  used,  especially  when  there  is  cultivated  land, 
or  any  land  where  there  is  much  matter  to  decompose.  You  asked 
Mr.  Cutter  a  few  minutes  ago  whether  the  water  in  Basin  No.  3  had 
not  been  about  as  bad  this  year  as  last.  I  do  not  think  the  water 
in  Basin  No.  3  has  been  as  bad  this  year  as  it  was  last  year.  The 
appearance  of  the  algce  dates  later,  so  far,  every  year,  and  this  year 
it  has  appeared  later  than  any  other.  I  think  that  goes  to  show 


50  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.   129. 

that  it  may  eventually  die  out.  If  you  should  visit  Horn  pond  or 
Wedge  pond  to-day  you  would  probably  find  the  ahjce.  It  was  so 
yesterday.  Last  year  the  same  thing  appeared  nearly  two  months 
earlier;  the  3rear  before  that  it  was  earlier  still.  So  it  seems  as  if 
the  thing  might  possibly  disappear  for  a  time. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH. —  It  has  not  disappeared  even  in  Lake 
Cochituate? 

A.  That  is,  it  may  disappear  for  a  term  of  years,  and  then 
reappear  again,  perhaps.  I  do  not  know  how  it  will  operate  in 
the  basins,  but  in  Lake  Cochituate  I  have  not  seen  a  year  in 
twenty-five  years  when  it  was  free  from  algce. 

Q.  If  that  basin  could  be  kept  for  three  years  and  then  all  the 
water  run  out  of  it  and  wasted,  probably  it  would  be  much  better 
for  the  basin  ? 

A.  I  do  not  think  it  would  be  absolutely  necessary  to  waste 
the  water.  Of  course  these  organic  matters  decompose  and  are 
oxidized  by  the  air  and  water,  and  I  do  not  know  why  that 
would  not  be  as  good  water  as  the  basin  filled  up  again.  For  in- 
stance, when  the  Chestnut-Hill  water  was  badly  contaminated  by 
the  spongilla,  the  water  was  isolated  for  two  or  three  months,  at  the 
end  of  which  time  I  was  not  able  to  see  that  the  water  did  not 
taste  about  as  good  as  ever.  It  had  a  flat  taste,  that  is,  it  lacked 
air.  But  there  was  no  discoloration  and  no  muddy  taste.  So  I  do 
not  think  it  would  be  absolutely  necessary  to  waste  that  water.  I 
think  the  effect  of  the  oxygen  in  the  water  would  decompose  all 
those  matters  and  settle  them  in  such  a  way  that  the  water  would 
be,  perhaps,  purer  than  if  we  let  fresh  water  into  it. 

Q.  How  long  do  you  think  it  should  stand  before  you  should  use 
it? 

A.  At  least  two  or  three  years  ;  but  that  cannot  be  in  the  pres- 
ent state  of  our  supply.  We  are  to-day  at  the  limit  of  our  supply, 
practically,  in  a  dry  year.  As  you  know,  last  .year,  if  it  had 
not  been  for  our  getting  some  six  hundred  million  gallons  from 
another  source,  which  we  did  not  expect  to  get,  we  should  have 
been  just  that  much  short  of  our  supply,  notwithstanding  all  the 
notices  issued  to  people  about  being  careful  in  the  use  of  water. 

Q.  So  you  consider  it  necessary  that  we  should  either  increase 
our  supply  or  decrease  our  consumption? 

A.    Yes,  sir,  decided!}'. 

Q.  And  of  course  decreasing  consumption  is  the  cheaper  means 
of  the  two? 

A.    I  think  so. 

Q.  Will  3'ou  instance  some  cases  in  which  algce  have  appeared 
in  water  perfectly  pure  and  uncontamiuated? 

A.  Yes.  sir ;  there  are  two  cases  pretty  close  to  us,  and  well 
known  by  parties  familiar  with  the  subject.  For  instance,  when 
the  water  works  were  first  established  in  Brookline  they  took  their 
water  from  what  is  known  as  Cow  Island,  lying  in  Charles  river, 
between  Dedham  and  West  Roxbury.  They  dug  a  channel  in  the 
Island,  which  they  stoned  up  loosely  at  the  side,  and  turned  an 
arch  over  it.  The}'  took  ground-water,  of  course.  From  there  it  was 
carried  in  pipes  to  their  pumps,  and  it  was  pumped  through  pipes 


APPENDIX.  51 

some  two  miles  long  to  a  reservoir  on  Fisher's  hill.  Whenever  I 
have  seen  that  reservoir  —  and,  in  fact,  I  guess  you  will  find  it  so 
to-day  —  it  has  always  been  in  what  you  would  call  a  filthy  condi- 
tion ;  that  is,  it  is  filled  with  algce.  It  is  built  with  earth  banks  and 
lined  with  stone.  Two-thirds  of  it  was  excavated  out  of  the  solid 
ground.  The  bottom  and  sides  were  of  clay  and  lined  with  ma- 
sonry. 

Q".    And  you  would  think  the  algce  came  into  it  with  the  water? 

A.  I  do  not  know.  I  know  that  in  tube  wells  it  was  impossible 
to  keep  them  out. 

Q.    What  was  the  other  case? 

A.  The  other  case  was  the  Horn-pond  water  works,  which  supply 
the  town  of  Woburn.  I  laid  those  works  out,  and  made  the  original 
report  for  the  town  of  Woburn.  It  was  intended  to  take  the 
water  direct  from  Horn  pond,  and  the  gate-house  was  located  on 
the  borders  of  the  pond.  But  when  they  came  to  locate  the  pump 
well,  they  found  there  was  an  enormous  quantity  of  water  running 
apparently  towards  Horn  pond,  but  the  temperature  was  10  to  15 
degrees  lower  than  that  of  Horn-pond  water ;  that  is,  if  it  was 
70  in  the  pond,  the  average  temperature  of  this  water  was  50 
to  55.  When  they  found  they  had  so  large  a  quantity  of  water, 
they  built  a  short  galleiy,  to  take  it  direct  to  the  pumps  and 
pump  it  into  their  reservoir  on  a  hill  which  is  on  the  site  I  selected, — 
a  regular  rocky  gorge,  and  all  it  required  was  a  dam  at  one  end. 
That  was  all  cleared  off  and  a  dam  built  across  the  end  and  the 
water  pumped  into  it.  I  think  that  if  you  visit  it  to-day  3*011  will 
find  the  water  filled  with  algce.  It  has  been  so  every  year,  not- 
standing  it  is  kept  in  what  is  called  a  rock  reservoir.  Those  are 
the  two  cases  I  am  most  familiar  with,  and  the  ones  about  which 
the  Commission  could  obtain  any  quantity  of  evidence  to  corrob- 
orate mine,  as  to  the  presence  of  the  algce  in  the  water. 

Q.    Do  you  know  anything  about  Wenham  lake? 

A.  Yes,  sir ;  I  examined  it  for  the  city  of  Salem  ten  or  fifteen 
years  ago. 

Q,   Did  they  find  any  algce  in  that? 

A.  I  do  not  think  there  was,  although  the  amount  of  water  they 
use  is  quite  small,  and  there  might  not  be  sufficient  algce  in  it  to 
trouble  them.  The  temperature  of  the  water  is  always  low. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  The  development  of  algce  is  a  question   of  tem- 
perature? 
A.    Yes,  sir. 

Mr.  GREENOUGII. — Whether  it  is  your  opinion  that  algce  would 
appear  in  an}-  water  exposed  to  the  sun? 

A.  I  think  it  would.  The  temperature  of  the  Sudbury-river 
basins  is  now  about  GO0. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  — And  what  is  Lake  Cochituate  —  about  the  same? 
A.   Yes,  sir  ;  it  is  about  the  same. 
Q.    And  fed  by  springs? 


52  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

A.  It  is  fed  by  ground-water.  I  do  not  think  there  are  any 
springs  there.  I  do  not  think  the  water  comes  from  a  great  dis- 
tance ;  that  is,  there  are  no  deep-seated  springs.  The  ground- 
water  may  come  for  miles.  If  it  is  porous  ground  when  you 
draw  the  water  down,  you  draw  it  from  the  entire  country  around  ; 
and  when  you  fill  it  up,  }-ou  fill  the  country  again.  I  pumped  Lake 
Cochituate  in  1871  the  first  time;  of  course  we  kept  expecting 
that  the  springs  would  develop  themselves  to  some  extent,  but 
I  never  noticed  that  any  appeared.  We  could  draw  the  water  from 
the  wells  in  the  country  around,  and  we  did  take  the  water  out  of 
them.  But  the  water  was  drawn  down  about  fifteen  feet,  and  you 
could  not  find  any  places  where  there  were  ai^  signs  of  springs. 
I  doubt  very  much  if  there  are  any  springs  there. 

Mr.  GREENOUGII.  —  Are  3*011  familiar  with  the  water  supplies  of 
other  cities  of  this  country? 

A.    Yes,  sir  ;  I  have  visited  most  of  them. 

Q.    Are  they  troubled  with  algce  in  the  New  York  City  supply? 

A.    I  could  not  state  as  a  fact  that  they  are. 

Q.  Do  you  know  anything  about  the  preparation  of  their 
basins? 

A.  They  built  their  basins  just  as  we  did  ;  but  the  country  they 
built  in  is  much  more  rocky  than  the  Sudbury  district.  There  is 
less  cultivated  land  in  proportion  to  the  area  of  the  basins. 

Mr.  SAWYER.  —  They  have  had  the  cucumber  taste  there? 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  I  am  not  sure  whether  they  have  or  not. 

Mr.  SAWYER.  —  I  think  Prof.  Remsen  said  so  in  his  report. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  They  had  it  in  former  years,  I  think. 

Mr.  GREENOUGII.  — Has  there  been  am*  difference  in  the  prepa- 
ration of  the  basins  on  the  Sudbury  from  the  plan  of  other  cities? 

A.  No,  sir;  I  suppose  there  are  a  dozen  towns  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  Boston  which  are  supplied  in  the  same  way,  and  the 
basins  were  built  in  exactly  the  same  way.  The  town  of  Arlington 
is  supplied  in  the  same  way,  and  has  a  very  shallow  basin.  The 
town  of  Winchester  has  a  similar  basin.  In  these  cases  they 
simply  build  the  dam  across  a  valle}'. 

Q.   And  strip  off  the  loam? 

A.   They  do  not  strip  off  the  loam. 

Dr.  BLAKE. — And  they  have  the  same  trouble.  Out  at  Win- 
chester, I  understood,  the  water  was  so  bad  they  could  not  use  it. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  Prof.  Remsen  makes  the  following  statement : 

Last  winter,  also,  the  Croton  water  of  New  York  became  affected  in  tho 
same  way.  We  have  abundant  records  to  show  that  the  "cucumber  taste" 
has  affected  waters  in  many  other  places.  I  may  mention,  for  example,  the 
following  other  places:  Hartford,  Conn.,  1871;  New  Haven,  Conn.,  1804, 
18G5,  1872;  Norwich,  Conn.,  for  several  years  in  succession;  Jacksonville, 
111. ;  Holyoke,  Mass. ;  Lynn,  Mass. ;  St.  Paul,  Minn. ;  Keene,  N.H.  ;  Albany, 
N.Y. ;  York,  Pa.  Many  other  places  might  be  mentioned;  but  the  above  will 
suffice  to  show  that  the  difficulty  is  not  confined  to  one  section  of  the  country. 


Mr.  GREENOUGII. — You  have  no  doubt  that  the  cause  of  the 
cucumber  taste  is  the  spongillaf 

A.    I  have  not  the  slightest  doubt  of  it. 


APPENDIX.  53 

Q.  And  that  it  is  such  a  thing  as  may  come  into  our  water  sup- 
ply at  any  time? 

A.    It  is  liable  to. 

Q.  And  the  only  way  to  free  our  water  supply  from  that  taste  is 
to  have  an  excess  of  supply? 

A.    It  is  the  only  way  I  know  of. 

Q.  I  suppose  the  Slid  bury  and  Cochituate  supply,  as  it  comes 
to-day,  is  as  good  as  it  is  likely  to  be,  as  long  as  we  are  unable  to 
store  it? 

A.    I  think  so. 

Q.  Now,  sir,  I  want  to  ask  you  in  regard  to  a  question  which  I 
am  not  sure  may  not  be  of  importance.  I  think  I  showed  you  a 
letter  written  to  me  by  Dr.  Lyon  Playfair,  some  months  ngo,  when 
the  Commission  were  talking  about  going  to  Lake  Cochituate,  in 
which  he  says  :  — 

It  may  be  that  you  require  filtration  through  oxide  of  iron  to  burn  up  this  organic 
matter. 

I  also  want  to  recall  to  3*011  r  recollection  the  conversation  we  had 
with  Sir  Frederick  Bramwell,  in  regard  to  the  universal  filtration 
of  the  water  supplies  of  tho  English  towns  before  it  is  used,  and 
stored  in  small  quantities  before  it  is  actuallv  put  into  the  supply. 
Have  there  been  any  experiments  of  that  kind  made  in  this  country 
on  a  large  scale?  Not  in  filtering  through  a  sand  bank  or  gravel 
bed,  but  filtration  through  a  regular  filter,  at  the  rate  of  thirty  or 
forty  million  gallons  a  day,  for  the  purpose  of  removing  organic 
matter? 

A.  No,  sir.  There  are  no  artificial  filtering  works  in  this  coun- 
try except  those  at  Poughkcepsie.  Mr.  Kirk  wood,  quite  a  number 
of  years  ago,  was  sent  to  Europe  to  investigate  the  question  of 
filtration  ;  but  his  conclusion,  and  that  of  others  of  the  best  engi- 
neers in  this  country,  was,  that  it  was  impracticable,  on  account  of 
our  climate,  to  carry  out  any  system  of  filtration  similar  to  those 
in  Europe. 

Q.  Why? 

A.  Simply  on  account  of  the  cost,  the  great  expense  of  main- 
tenance, and  the  difficulty  of  keeping  the  works  free  from  ice. 
There  is  trouble  of  their  clogging  with  algce.  If  }'ou  take  water, 
such  as  it  has  been  here,  a  filter  would  clog ;  we  would  have  to 
have  four  times  the  area  to  take  care  of  our  water  in  consequence 
of  this  algce.  We  made  enough  experiments  to  show  that  the  filters 
would  clog  in  an  exceedingly  short  space  of  time  when  the  water 
was  full  of  algce.  Notwithstanding  all  the  study  given  to  the  sub- 
ject since  then,  there  has  never  been  but  one  place  which  has  at- 
tempted to  introduce  it,  and  that  is  Poughkeepsie.  I  do  not  know 
whether  it  is  a  success  or  not.  But  the  filters  were  constructed 
upon  the  best  plan,  under  the  supervision  of  Mr.  Kirk  wood.  There 
are  plenty  of  filters  in  this  country  which  are  failures.  The  town 
of  Brookline  attempted  it  at  Cow  Island,  and  had  to  abandon  it, 
and  take  water  direct  from  Charles  river.  The  city  of  Lowell 
built  a  filtering  gallery,  and  for  a  few  years  it  answered  very  well ; 


54  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

but  it  began  to  clog  up.  and  in  time  it  was  found  impracticable  to 
get  water  from  that  gallery.  They  thought  they  would  put  in  an 
artificial  gallery,  and  that  did  not  work  but  a  little  while.  So  now 
they  take  the  water  directly  from  the  river. 

Q.    And  distribute  it  through  the  system  of  pipes? 

A.  I  asked  Mr.  Francis  about  it.  He  sa3's  they  practically 
distribute  it  as  received  from  the  river ;  but  it  stays  in  the  reser- 
voir a  certain  time,  and  much  of  the  sediment  settles  out  of  it.  I 
should  think  it  would  be  bad.  I  used  to  visit  out  to  Chelmsford, 
and  between  there  and  Lowell  was  boating  and  fishing  on  that 
river  five  or  six  weeks  in  the  year,  and  saw  the  water  at  various 
stages  of  the  river.  I  should  think  it  would  be  usually  very  dirty 
for  drinking-water.  The  book  referred  to  is  published  by  Mr. 
Kirk  wood. 

Q.   Did  he  consider  the  question  of  filtration  by  oxide  of  iron  ? 

A.  No  ;  1  think  not.  You  know  what  Sir  Frederick  Bramwell 
said  the  other  day,  or  what  Mr.  Davis  said  in  conversation  with 
him  :  "  I  know  they  did  have  such  a  system  at  Berlin,  and  it  was 
abandoned  on  account  of  the  ice." 

Q.  Of  course  they  would  not  be  likely  to  be  troubled  with  algce 
in  the  winter? 

A.  No,  sir ;  in  the  summer  season  they  are  troubled  with  algce, 
and  in  winter  with  ice. 

Q.    But  they  were  using  oxide  of  iron  at  Berlin? 

A.  No ;  I  think  it  is  only  the  ordinary  system  of  filtration. 
In  regard  to  that  system  of  filtration  by  oxide  of  iron,  I  have 
alwa}rs  been  of  the  opinion  that  a  complete  aeration  of  the  water 
would  improve  its  color  and  quality. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Is  there  any  way  by  which  the  water  supply  can 
be  more  aerated  than  it  is  now? 

A.  I  think  if  we  built  a  conduit  across  Farm  pond  I  should 
make  some  experiments  on  that.  I  have  talked  with  a  good  many 
parties  about  it,  and  I  am  more  than  ever  convinced  that  something 
of  that  kind  should  be  done  to  improve  the  water. 

Mr.  SAWYER. — Don't  we  think  the  conduit  should  be  built 
across  Farm  pond? 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  — That  is  what  we  do  think. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Do  you  suppose  there  is  any  one  in  this 
country  who  knows  anything  about  the  sj'stem  of  filtration  by 
oxide  of  iron  ? 

A.    I  do  not  think  there  is.     It  is  only  done  on  a  small  scale. 

Q.  Those  English  water  companies  must  be  accustomed  to 
handling  as  much  water  daily  as  we  do. 

A.  But  they  have  half-a-dozen  supplies.  They  may  not  take 
half  as  much  water  from  any  one  source  as  we  do. 

Q.  But  there  are  seven  times  as  many  people,  and  each  company 
must  supply  more  people  than  we  do.  They  must  be  in  the  habit 
of  handling  large  quantities  of  water. 


APPENDIX.  55 

A.  I  guess  not  as  large  as  thirty  or  forty  million  gallons  a  day 
from  one  source. 

Q.  Although  the  Cochituate  sometimes  has  algce  in  it,  and 
sometimes  spongilla,  it  has  not  this  organic  taste  to  it  which 
the  Sud bury  has,  and  it  might  be  necessary  to  filter  only  the 
Sudbury. 

A.  Cochituate  water  is  stored  longer.  I  think  if  the  Sudbnry 
water  was  stored  as  long  as  the  Cochituate,  it  would  taste  as  good 
as  the  Cochituate,  particularly  in  the  new  Basin,  No.  4. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Is  there  any  difference  in  the  character  of  the 
living  water  and  stored  water  ? 

A.  That  brings  up  this  very  question  of  aeration.  I  think 
there  is  a  difference. 

Q.  Have  3-011  stated  before  this  Commission  any  reason  why,  in 
your  opinion,  there  should  be  a  difference  between  the  water  in 
Basin  No.  2  and  Basin  No.  3  ;  why  Basin  No.  2  has.  so  few  algce 
and  Basin  No.  3  so  many? 

A.  No,  I  do  not  know  aii3r  reason  why  it  should  be,  except,  of 
course,  there  are  very  much  larger  bodies  of  water  running  through 
it;  but  they  are  not  an}r  larger  than  runs  through  Basin  No.  1. 
The  same  quantity  of  water  runs  through  Basin  No.  1  when  it 
goes  over  the  dam,  and  yet  the  algce  invariably  appear  in  Basin 
No.  1, 

Q.  The  character  and  preparation  of  the  basins  is  substantially 
the  same? 

A.    Yes,  sir,  practically. 

Q.    The  same  amount  of  shallow  flowage? 

A .   Within  5  per  cent. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH. —  What  have  you  got  to  say  in  regard  to  this 
pigpen  odor  which  Prof.  Remscn  refers  to  ? 

A.  There  has  been  a  smell  up  there  from  time  to  time,  but  it  is 
no  more  than  3^011  would  smell  from  an3r  fresh-water  pond  when 
drawn  down.  You  get  the  same  smell  when  the  pond  is  drawn 
down.  You  get  the  salt-water  smell  from  the  flats  when  the  salt- 
water is  drawn  off.  You  invariably  get  it  when  the  water  is  drawn 
down  and  the  bottom  exposed. 

Q.  Now,  I  wish  you  would,  if  possible,  make  an  experiment  in 
regard  to  this  purification.  Sir  Frederick  Bramwell  spoke  of  puri- 
fying the  water  and  taking  the  organic  matter  out  of  it  by  the  iron 
slag  which  comes  from  the  furnaces,  or  something  of  that  kind ; 
and  it  would  be  very  easy  to  make  a  small  experiment. 

A.   Well,  you  have  the  letter  of  Dr.  Play  fair. 

Q.  Yes,  that  is  oxide  of  iron  and  charcoal.  But  Sir  Frederick 
Bramwell  says  he  is  a  member  of  a  company,  and  he  suggested 
that  his  word  might  be  taken  with  a  grain  of  salt ;  but  he  said  they 
had  been  extremely  successful,  and  he  gave  me  a  pamphlet  show- 
ing what  beautiful  water  they  had  been  turning  out  after  it  passed 
through  this  iron.  It  might  be  possible  and  worth  our  while, 
leaving  no  stone  unturned,  to  see  if  it  would  not  be  possible  to  get 


56  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

some  figures  as  to  the  quantity  necessary,  absolutely,  to  purify  the 
Sudbury  system.  Do  you  think  it  would  be  possible  to  do  so  in 
the  course  of  a  month  ? 

A.  I  do  not  know  why  not.  I  will  say  that  we  have  tried  suffi- 
cient experiments  with  ordinary  filtration  to  show  it  is  entirely  im- 
practicable, especially  when  there  are  algce  in  the  water.  It  would  be 
impossible  to  erect  the  works  without  an  enormous  cost.  To  filter 
ten  millions  of  gallons  a  day  would  cost  at  the  rate  of  four  hundred 
thousand  dollars  for  the  plant  alone.  Multiply  that  by  four  and 
you  will  see  what  it  comes  to. 

Q.    What  has  been  the  average  consumption  the  past  }Tear? 

A.   About  thirty-one  millions. 

Q.  That  is,  the  Sudbury  and  Cochituate  together?  You  have 
taken  about  eighteen  millions  from  the  Sudbury? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.    The  water  was  filtered  in  what  way,  in  your  experiments  ? 

A.  Through  regular  sand  filters,  of  the  ordinary  form.  That 
report  was  nfade  by  Mr.  Davis,  and  is  in  print.  I  may  not  state 
the  figures  right,  but  I  can  get  them. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  I  wonder  if  Lyon  Playfair  expected  to  discolor 
the  water  as  well  as  purify  it  by  this  change  ? 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  I  should  judge  it  would  take  out  just  this 
difficulty  winch  we  found  in  the  water  here. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN. — The  water  loses  its  color  entirely  in  storing. 
It  keeps  growing  lighter  and  lighter  in  color. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Is  it  not  a  fact  that  on  the  Continent  they  cover 
all  their  storage-basins? 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  Yes,  sir,  they  are  obliged  to.  They  cover 
the  filtering-basins,  and  the  distributing-basins  also. 

Q.  Is  it  not  also  a  fact  that  they  are  getting  rid  pretty  rapidly 
of  all  the  shallow  basins  and  making  them  very  deep  ? 

A.  I  understand  they  are,  as  a  rule. 

Q.  So  that  they  want  to  avoid  the  effect  of  temperature  upon 
the  water? 

A.   That  is  the  object. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  After  all,  Mr.  Chairman,  it  seems  to  come  down 
to  a  question  of  temperature. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  In  the  production  of  algce? 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Yes,  sir. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  Here  is  the  report  of  the  State  Board  of 
Health  for  1879,  in  which  there  is  a  report  by  Mr.  Fteley,  which  is 
of  interest  as  showing  the  experiments  made  (page  123).  Prof. 
Farlow's  report  commences  on  page  131.  In  that  report  he  goes 
into  it  very  thorough!}*,  as  3rou  will  see.  It  will  be  useless  for  me 
to  read  it.  There  is  also  the  report  of  their  correspondence  in 
relation  to  the  effect  of  algae,  in  the  Mystic-water  supply.  There  is 
one  thing  that  Prof.  Farlow  does  here  to  which  I  wish  to  call  atten- 
tion, lie  calls  Horn  pond  a  very  filthy  basin ;  but  I  am  sure  I  do 
not  know  for  what  reason,  because  it  was  always  considered  one  of 
the  best  ponds  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston.  Simply  because  it  had 
algoe  in  it,  he  thinks  it  is  ver}'  filthy.  He  seems  to  think  it  a  bad 
pond,  an}' way. 


APPENDIX.  57 

But  there  is  more  information  upon  that  question  of  algce,  of  the 
different  kinds,  how  they  grow,  etc.,  and  it  is  the  best  information 
on  the  subject  that  I  know  of,  —  in  fact,  it  is  the  only  thing  that 
has  been  written  that  amounts  to  much  on  that  subject. 

There  is  a  report  that  I  wanted  to  call  attention  to.  I  stated 
some  figures  a  few  moments  ago  about  the  cost  of  filtration.  Mr. 
Dayis  gives  these  figures  in  his  report,  on  page  34  of  the  fourth 
annual  report,  1880.  The  report  was  written  in  December,  1879, 
and  was  reprinted  in  the  report  which  I  made  to  the  Water  Board 
of  that  year.  Without  going  into  details,  perhaps  a  few  extracts 
from  it  will  answer.  He  gives  the  different  methods  of  filtration, 
and  finally  says  (page  35)  :  — 

The  estimated  cost  is,  therefore,  for  artificial  filters  constructed  on  the 
European  plan,  and  consisting  of  two  feet  of  fine  sand,  one  foot  of  coarse 
sand,  one  foot  of  fine  gravel,  and  three  feet  of  coarse  material  placed  in 
layers  in  masonry  reservoirs  or  tanks.  To  filter  10,000,000  gallons  daily,  and 
to  provide  a  surplus  area  that  the  process  of  cleaning  may  be  carried  on 
without  interruption  to  the  supply,  seven  beds,  each  having  an  area  of  about 
33,000  square  feet,  will  be  required,  —  allowing  an  average  flow  of  fifty  gallons 
per  square  foot  per  day. 

The  relative  levels  of  the  lake-surface  and  the  existing  conduit  are  such 
that  pumps  will  be  required  — 

(We  should,  practically,  have  to  do  the  same  thing  on  the  Sud- 
bury  and  Cochituate.) 

—  to  lift  the  water  from  the  lake  to  the  filters,  which  last  will  deliver  the 
filtered  water  to  the  conduit  by  gravitation,  and  are  to  be  situated  near  the 
gate-house,  at  the  upper  end  of  the  conduit,  where  good  sand  and  gravel  for 
forming  the  beds  are  found. 

The  estimated  cost  is  as  follows  :  — 
Inlet  chamber  and  pumping-station      ......         $120,000 

Filters,  tracks,  washing  beds,  etc.        ......  250,000 

$370,000 
Add  ten  per  cent,  for  superintendence  and  contingencies     .         .  37,000 


$407,000 
Add  land  damages,  say         . 20,000 

$427,000 

That  is  for  10,000,000  gallons  on  the  Mystic.  That  is  about 
what  I  stated  from  memory  (reading)  :  — 

The  cost  of  pumping  and  of  operating  the  filters  would  be  about  five 
dollars  per  million  gallons  of  filtered  water. 

The  interest  upon  cost  of  works  at  five  per  cent,  would  be  nearly  six 
dollars  per  million  gallons,  making  the  total  cost  eleven  dollars. 

Then  he  goes  into  the  question  of  expediency.  He  speaks  of 
this  quantity  of  algce,  etc.,  and  here  is  one  thing  I  should  like  to 
call  your  attention  to  (reading)  :  — 

There  are  special  difficulties  attending  the  filtration  of  water  in  a  climate 
subject  to  extremes  of  temperature.  In  the  winter,  the  water  on  the  filtering- 
beds  freezes,  and  thick  bodies  of  ice  often  form,  which  require  to  be  removed 
at  a  considerable  cost  when  cleaning  or  repair  of  the  filtering  surfaces  is 
needed. 

In  the  summer  the  hot  sun  acts  upon  the  sand-beds  through   a  shallow 


58  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

stratum  of  water,  heating  the  water,  and  thus  rendering  it  possible  for  plants 
to  grow  upon  the  surface  of  the  filters.  This  growth  seriously  interferes  with 
the  action  of  the  filters,  and  necessitates  frequent  cleaning. 

Both  of  these  troubles  may  be  obviated  by  covering  the  beds  by  arches  or 
roofs,  and  it  is  probable  that  the  groAvth  of  algce  in  the  filtered  water  may  be 
prevented  by  covering  the  clear-water  reservoir. 

No  estimate  has  been  made  of  the  cost  of  covering  the  reservoirs,  but  an 
approximate  estimate,  amounting  to  $80,000,  has  been  made  of  the  cost  of 
building  substantial  sheds  over  the  filters. 

You  see  it  would  increase  that  up  to  $500,000  for  ten  million  of 
gallons  daily. 

There  is  another  matter  I  wanted  to  speak  about  in  connection 
with  this  algce,  to  show  you  that  there  is  no  pond,  however  pure  it 
may  be,  that  is  not  liable  to  have  algce  in  it,  although  it  may  not 
be  an  injurious  kind.  Mr.  Brackett,  one  of  my  assistants,  was  at 
Centre  Harbor,  and  wrote  me  from  there  on  August  5,  1881 :  — 

The  water  here  is  full  of  what  I  take  to  be  an  algce,  although  it  differs 
from  those  which  we  have  had.  The  lake  here  is  about  as  bad  as  was  the 
Mystic  two  years  ago.  They  do  not  have  any  themometers  here,  but  I  judge 
that  it  is  about  99°  in  the  shade  here  to-day. 

I  telegraphed  him  to  send  me  a  sample  of  the  water,  which  be 
did,  and  it  was  worse  than  any  water  I  ever  saw  here.  The  en- 
tire surface  of  the  lake  for  miles  was  covered  with  this  green  algce, 
but  by  the  time  my  telegram  reached  him  there  had  been  a  high 
wind ,  which  dissipated  them  to  some  extent. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH. — There  is  a  great  deal  of  talk  about  the  dif- 
ferent sources  of  supply  to  which  we  might  possibty  turn.  Do  you 
know  of  any  source  of  supply  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston  from  which 
we  could  get  any  better  water  than  we  do  now  ? 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  No,  I  do  not.  Of  course  there  are  sources  of 
supply  which  might  be  better,  but  the  cost  would  entirely  preclude 
the  city's  getting  them.  The  reports  made  b}'  Mr.  Davis  at  the 
time  the  Sudbury-river  scheme  was  being  considered  show  that  he 
considered  every  source  of  supply  within  a  reasonable  distance  of 
Boston,  and,  with  most  of  them,  even  if  the  quality  was  particularly 
good,  the  expense  of  getting  them  was  entirely  be3'ond  the  limits 
to  which  the  city  could  afford  to  go.  While  it  is  all  very  well  for 
people  to  talk  that  the  city  can  afford  to  pay  any  amount  for  water, 
if  the  people  were  taxed  six  per  cent,  on  the  cost  for  the  works  for 
water  brought  from  a  long  distance,  I  think  the}'  would  change  their 
opinions,  and  would  rather  get  along  with  a  poorer  supply  than 
pay  the  bills.  For  instance,  I  testified  before  the  Committee  on 
Water,  that  to  bring  water  from  Lake  Winnipiseogee  would  cost 
fifty  millions  of  dollars.  You  see  that,  under  the  act,  which  requires 
the  income  from  the  water  works  to  pay  the  water  debt,  the  cost 
would  be  so  high  that  it  would  debar  people  from  using  it  for  man- 
ufacturing purposes,  —  I  mean,  supposing  alwa3Ts  it  could  be 
done. 

There  is  only  one  more  thing  I  wanted  to  say,  and  that  is  in  re- 
gard to  this  bad  taste  in  the  water.  It  certainty  is  not  attributa- 
ble to  the  Sudbury-river  water.  It  is  liable  to  occur  in  any  water. 
I  refer  to  the  cucumber  taste.  I  do  not  believe  the  algce  have  any- 


APPENDIX.  59 

thing  more  to  do  with  it  than  anything  else.  It  is  caused  by  the 
sponge,  and  it  is  liable  to  appear  in  any  water  supply,  even  the 
purest. 

STATEMENT  OF  TIMOTHY  T.  SAWYER,  OF  THE  BOSTON  WATER  BOARD. 

Mr.  SAWYER.  —  Something  has  been  said,  Mr.  Chairman,  at 
these  meetings,  in  relation  to  the  removal  of  the  loam,  and  a  dis- 
agreement between  the  Water  Board  and  Mr.  Davis ;  and  then, 
again,  as  to  how  much  soil  has  been  removed;  and  I  should  like 
to  make  a  little  statement  in  relation  to  that. 

As  has  been  stated  here,  our  relations  with  Mr.  Davis  were  al- 
ways of  the  most  pleasant  character.  We  had  the  utmost  con- 
fidence in  him,  and  always  adopted  his  recommendations.  We  made 
some  changes  in  his  plan  ;  for  instance,  he  did  not  originally  contem- 
plate a  brick  conduit  from  the  Beacon-street  tunnel  to  the  Chestnut- 
Hill  gate-house,  and  the  plan  was  changed  from  a  wrought-iron 
pipe  to  a  brick  conduit.  But  all  his  recommendations,  as  Mr.  Cut- 
ter has  stated,  were  adopted  by  the  Board,  and  we  never  disagreed 
with  him. 

In  regard  to  the  removal  of  the  loam,  Mr.  Davis,  in  his  report, 
speaks  of  the  advisability  of  removing  it,  if  possible.  So  far  as  the 
action  of  the  Board  was  concerned,  on  the  6th  of  July,  1878, 
it  was  voted 

That  the  engineer  be  requested  to  give  the  Park  Commissioners  such  in- 
formation as  they  may  require  as  to  the  amount  of  filling  that  may  be  obtained 
from  the  basins. 

Mr.  Dalton,  Chairman  of  the  Park  Commissioners,  came  be- 
fore the  Board  and  we  had  a  conversation  with  him.  While  I  was 
on  the  Board  this  was  the  only  action  taken  in  relation  to  the  re- 
moval of  the  loam  from  the  basins.  But  the  recommendations  of 
Mr.  Davis  were  always  adopted,  and  we  never  had  any  disagreement 
in  relation  to  it. 

Now,  in  regard  to  the  matter  of  loam,  I  wish  to  call  attention  to 
this  :  It  has  been  stated  that  Prof.  Remsen  said  the  filth  in  Basin 
3  encouraged  the  growth  of  the  spongilla.  But  he  says,  in  his 
report :  — 

The  materials  usually  found  at  the  bottom  of  such  ponds,  such  as  loam, 
etc.,  do  not  emit  strong  odors  or  give  any  characteristic  taste  to  the  water. 

Then  he  says  further,  —  and  I  suppose  it  is  the  reason  why  he  has 
been  quoted,  —  he  is  speaking  of  the  mud  from  the  basins  :  — 

While  this  mud  is  not  directly  responsible  for  the  "cucumber  taste,"  it 
may  possibly  have  something  to  do  with  it  indirectly,  as  it  may  be  favorable 
to  the  growth  of  the  sponge,  which  is,  in  all  probability,  responsible  for  the 
objectionable  condition  of  the  water. 

But  he  adds  :  — 

I  am,  however,  not  able  to  speak  with  any  confidence  on  this  point. 


60  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

This  is  one  thing  I  want  to  have  corrected,  because  he  did  not 
give  a  decided  opinion.  I  have  been  making  a  study  of  the  trouble 
with  the  water  supply  here,  and  will  call  the  attention  of  the 
Commission  to  the  result  of  my  investigations.  I  have  taken  the 
pains  to  look  over  the  record  from  the  beginning  of  the  Cochituate 
supply. 

In  the  first  place  I  would  like  to  add  to  what  I  said  in  regard  to 
clearing  the  mud  from  the  basins,  that  I  do  not  want  the  Commis- 
sion to  get  the  impression  that  nothing  has  been  done  to  clear  out 
this  mud  from  the  basins.  There  was  a  good  deal  done.  I  have 
a  memorandum  of.  contracts  where  we  paid  seventeen  or  eigh- 
teen thousand  dollars  for  clearing  out  mud  in  the  shallow  places, 
and  the  places  can  be  given.  It  is  all  a  matter  of  figures,  and  ap- 
pears in  Mr.  Fteley's  report,  where  the  mud  was  excavated  when 
the  basins  were  constructed.  For  instance,  we  had  a  contract 
with  an  Italian  for  excavating  near  Whiting  and  Bullard's,  $2,000  ; 
another  for  excavating  on  reservoir  No.  1,  for  $2,836  ;  another  for 
filling  and  grading  land  of  Nevins,  $6,704  ;  another  for  a  wooden 
dam,  to  prevent  exposure  of  shallow  places  in  Basin  2,  $1,267  ; 
another  for  cleaning  up  wood  and  brush  in  Basins  1,  2,  and  3, 
$2,750. 

I  mention  this  merely  to  show  that  something  was  done. 

But  what  I  wanted  to  call  3*0111'  attention  to  was  this,  which 
mpy  be  of  service  to  the  Commission.  Looking  over  the  reports 
I  find  in  the  report  for  the  year  1851,  the  engineer,  Mr.  Chesbrough, 
said  :  — 

Last  spring,  principally  in  the  months  of  April  and  May,  there  was  a  very 
general  complaint  of  the  water  tasting  badly  ;  and  in  many  instances,  though 
not  so  generally,  the  smell  was  considered  bad.  The  subject  received  imme- 
diate attention,  and  everything  was  done  that  was  thought  judicious  to  dis- 
cover and  remedy  the  evil.  The  principal  measure  that  was  resorted  to  was 
a  thorough  flushing  of  the  pipes  all  over  the  city,  by  passing  through  them  as 
rapid  a  current  as  it  was  possible  to  produce  by  opening  hydrants  and  waste- 
cocks.  In  some  cases  the  evil  complained  of  was  not  removed.  In  almost 
every  case  the  trouble  was  traced  to  filters  that  had  become  filled  with  de- 
cayed animal  matter.  The  probability  is  that  one  great  cause  of  complaint 
in  the  spring  is  owing  to  the  change  of  temperature  of  the  water,  causing  it 
to  have  a  flatter  taste. 

Then,  in  the  report  of  Mr.  Chesbrough  for  the  year  1852,  he 


Last  spring  the  aqueduct  received  a  thorough  cleansing.  A  peculiar  sub- 
stance like  very  fine  dark  mud  is  deposited  upon  the  surface  of  the  brick- 
work, and  adheres  for  a  time  ;  but,  in  consequence  of  the  changes  in  the  depth 
and  velocity  of  the  current  through  the  aqueduct,  this  substance  sometimes 
comes  off  in  sufficient  quantities  to  give  the  water  the  appearance  of  being 
filled  with  sawdust.  This  makes  it  necessary  to  cleanse  the  aqueduct  partially 
twice  every  year. 

Last  spring  a  number  of  bunches  of  extremely  attenuated  and  delicate 
roots  were  discovered  hanging  from  the  top  and  sides  of  the  aqueduct,  between 
the  Newton  and  Brookline  tunnels.  In  some  instances  they  were  three  or 
four  feet  long,  and  so  tender  as  to  break  with  the  slightest  force,  and,  of 
course,  very  easy  to  remove. 

In  the  autumn  a  great  many  patches,  in  some  cases  larger  than  the  crown 
of  a  man's  hat,  of  a  vegetable  substance  like  sponge  in  texture  and  color,  and 
frequently  with  coral-shaped  branches  several  inches  in  length,  were  discov- 


APPENDIX.  61 

ered  in  the  first  mile  of  the  aqueduct,  being  most  numerous  near  the  lake. 
They  were  very  tender,  and  easy  to  remove. 

Now,  here  is  another  remark  he  makes  in  this  connection  :  — 

It  is  a  little  singular  that  this  should  be  the  first  instance  of  discovering 
them  in  the  aqueduct,  as  precisely  the  same  species  of  plants,  apparently, 
was  discovered  in  the  large  stopcocks  that  were  taken  out  of  Trcmont  street, 
at  the  head  of  Dover  street,  to  be  repaired,  more  than  a  year  ago. 

That  carries  it  back  as  far  as  1851.  Then,  in  the  report  for  the 
year  1853,  is  this  remark  :  — 

A  very  recent  examination  of  the  aqueduct  shows  that  the  deposit  men- 
tioned in  the  last  annual  report  has  again  taken  place,  and  must  be  removed 
within  a  short  time.  The  peculiar  vegetable  substance  occurring  in  patches 
of  from  one  inch  to  one  foot  in  diameter,  and  first  discovered  in  the  aqueduct 
last  year,  when  it  was  confined  to  the  mile  nearest  the  lake,  is  now  found  in 
every  part  of  the  aqueduct  from  the  lake  to  Brookline  reservoir.  It  is  so  ten- 
der, however,  that  the  ordinary  cleansing  is  sufficient  to  remove  it.  There  is 
reason  to  believe  that  it  grows  very  luxuriant  in  still  water,  as  will  be  men- 
tioned under  the  head  of  iron  pipes. 

Then  the  Commissioners  sa}7  this  in  relation  to  it :  — 

The  vegetable  substance,  which  is  mentioned  in  the  City  Engineer's  report 
as  having  made  its  appearance  lately  in  the  aqueduct,  is  stated  by  botanists 
to  be  a  species  of  spongilla,  or  fresh-water  sponge.  There  is  probably  no 
way  of  preventing  its  growth ;  it  is,  however,  easily  removed.  The  only  in- 
jury it  is  known  to  do  is  the  clogging  up  of  the  screens  at  the  reservoirs,  and 
on  this  account  it  has  become  quite  troublesome. 

Now,  here  is  another  thing.  In  the  report  for  the  year  1854 
the  Commissioners  say  :  — 

While,  however,  the  Water  Board  would  congratulate  the  city  on  the  suf- 
ficiency of  the  supply,  etc.,  they  regret  to  be  obliged  to  report  upon  a  deterio- 
ration of  the  quality  of  the  water,  which  has  recently  been  most  unexpectedly 
found  to  be  so  universally  prevalent  as  to  be  not  only  a  source  of  much  annoyance 
to  every  water-taker,  but  also  of  solicitude  to  all  who  feel  an  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  the  city.  It  was  first  observed  in  October  last,  and  consisted  of  a 
marked  and  peculiar  taste,  resembling,  in  the  opinion  of  some,  that  of  fish, ; 
but  we  believe  in  that  of  a  great  majority  of  persons  that  of  cucumbers,  or 
some  similar  vegetable,  the  taste  being  accompanied  sometimes  by  a  dis- 
agreeable smell. 

Adjourned  to  Tuesday,  October  31  st,  at  4  P.M. 


FOURTH    HEARING. 

TUESDAY,  Oct.  31,  1882. 
The  Commission  met  at  4  P.M.     All  present. 

STATEMENT  OF  TIMOTHY  T.  SAWYER.  —  Continued. 

Mr.  SAWYER.  —  I  thought,  at  3*onr  meeting  the  other  afternoon, 
that  it  might  be  interesting  to  this  Commission  to  hear  read  some 
notes  I  had  made  in  looking  over  the  reports  of  the  Cochituato 


62  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

and  Boston  Water  Boards,  in  relation  to  the  quality  of  the  water 
and  what  had  happened  in  times  past.  That  was  mjr  principal  ob- 
ject in  coming  before  the  Commission,  and  I  have  nothing  else  to 
offer  at  this  time.  It  seemed  to  me  that  it  was  important  for  me, 
as  connected  with  the  Boston  Water  Board,  to  be  posted  a  little  in 
relation  to  what  happened  in  times  past,  and  what  was  the  action 
in  former  years  in  regard  to  troubles  of  this  kind.  Therefore 
I  read  over  very  carefully  all  the  reports  of  the  Cochituate  and 
Boston  Water  Boards,  and  made  some  notes  relating  to  this  sub- 
ject. It  is  to  those  notes  that  I  wish  to  call  the  attention  of  this 
Commission,  thinking  it  might  be  of  service  to  them  in  the  investi- 
gation which  they  are  now  making. 

I  see  that  some  gentlemen  are  here  to-day  who  were  not  here  at 
the  last  meeting.  Some  questions  had  been  asked  as  to  what  had 
been  done  by  the  Water  Board  toward  the  removal  of  the  loam,  and, 
fearing  that  there  might  be  a  wrong  impression  in  that  respect,  I 
stated  to  the  gentlemen  present  at  the  last  meeting  that  we  had 
made  some  contracts,  and  that  a  great  deal  of  soil  had  been  re- 
moved. I  believe  I  gave  it  in  figures.  All  those  will  appear  in  a 
history  of  the  Boston  Water  Works,  which  is  now  being  prepared 
and  is  nearly  ready,  and  which  will  be  in  the  hands  of  the  Commis- 
sion so  that  they  can  see  for  themselves.  But  I  stated  that  some- 
where about  fifteen  or  sixteen  thousand  dollars  had  been  expended 
in  the  removal  of  the  soil  from  the  bottoms  of  the  three  basins,  and 
I  stated  where  it  was  done.  I  do  not  know  as  it  is  worth  while  to 
repeat  that.  I  made  the  statement  because  there  seemed  to  be  an 
impression  that  nothing  had  been  done  ;  whereas,  we  can  show  the 
places  where  it  has  been  done. 

I  find  in  the  report  of  January,  1852,  which  is  the  report  of  the 
Cochituate  Water  Board  for  the  previous  year,  1851,  the  following 
statement  in  the  report  of  the  engineer,  Mr.  Chesbrough  :  — 

Last  spring,  principally  in  the  months  of  April  and  May,  there  was  a  very 
general  complaint  of  the  water  tasting  badly;  and,  in  many  instances,  though 
not  so  generally,  the  source  was  considered  bad.  The  subject  received  im- 
mediate attention,  and  everything  was  done  that  was  thought  judicious  to  dis- 
cover and  remedy  the  evil.  The  principal  measure  that  was  resorted  to  was 
a  thorough  flushing  of  the  pipes  all  over  the  city,  by  passing  through  them  as 
rapid  a  current  as  it  was  possible  to  produce  by  opening  hydrants  and  waste- 
cocks.  In  some  cases  the  evil  complained  of  was  not  removed.  In  almost 
every  case  the  trouble  was  traced  to  filters  that  had  become  filled  with  de- 
cayed animal  matter.  The  probability  is,  that  one  great  cause  of  complaint 
in  the  spring  is  owing  to  the  change  of  temperature  of  the  water,  causing  it  to 
have  a  flatter  taste.  During  the  winter  the  temperature  of  the  water  in  the 
pipes  is  seldom  more  than  four  or  five  degrees  above  the  freezing-point,  and 
the  change  which  takes  place  in  this  respect  in  the  spring  is  very  great.  Lest, 
however,  the  difficulty  should  be  owing  to  collections  of  offensive  matter  in 
the  winter,  it  is  intended  to  commence  the  general  flushing  or  blowing  off 
this  year,  the  last  of  March  instead  of  the  last  of  April,  as  heretofore.  Un- 
less dead  ends  are  blown  off  about  once  in  about  ten  days  throughout  tho 
year,  complaints  of  bad  water  are  made.  The  Brookline  gate-house  strain- 
ers got  out  of  order  in  the  spring  and  small  fish  got  into  the  service-pipes  and 
died.  Repairs  of  the  strainers  remedied  this  trouble. 

Then,  in  January,  1853,  which  was  the  report  for  1852,  I  find 
this:  — 


APPENDIX.  63 

Every  ordinary  and  some  extraordinary  efforts  were  made  in  the  spring  to 
prevent  the  usual  complaints  of  bad  water,  and  with  satisfactory  success.  No 
complaints  whatever  were  made  except  in  one  or  two  instances,  clearly  ow- 
ing to  fish  in  pipes.  The  screen  at  the  Brookline  reservoir  is  now  perfect 
enough  to  prevent  this. 

Then,  in  the  report  for  the  year  1852,  Mr.  Chesbrough  says  :  — 

Last  spring  the  aqueduct  received  a  thorough  cleansing.  A  peculiar  sub- 
stance like  very  fine  dark  mud  is  deposited  upon  the  surface  of  the  brick- 
work, and  adheres  for  a  time,  but,  in  consequence  of  the  changes  in  the  depth 
or  velocity  of  the  current  through  the  aqueduct,  this  substance  sometimes 
comes  off  in  sufficient  quantities  to  give  the  water  the  appearance  of  being  filled 
with  sawdust.  This  makes  it  necessary  to  cleanse  the  aqueduct  partially  twice 
a  year. 

Last  spring  a  number  of  bunches  of  extremely  attenuated  and  delicate 
roots  were  discovered  hanging  from  the  top  and  sides  of  the  aqueduct,  between 
the  Newton  and  Brookline  tunnels.  In  some  instances  they  were  three 
or  four  feet  long,  but  so  tender  as  to  break  with  the  slightest  force,  and,  of 
course,  very  easy  to  remove.  In  the  autumn  a  great  many  patches,  in  some 
cases  larger  than  the  crown  of  a  man's  hat,  of  a  vegetable  substance  like 
sponge  in  texture  and  color,  and  frequently  with  coral-shaped  branches  several 
inches  in  length,  were  discovered  in  the  first  mile  of  the  aqueduct,  being  most 
numerous  near  the  lake.  They  were  very  tender  and  easy  to  remove.  It  is 
a  little  singular  that  this  should  be  the  first  instance  of  discovering  them  in  the 
aqueduct,  as  precisely  the  same  species  was  discovered  in  the  large  stop- 
cocks that  were  taken  out  of  Tremont  street,  at  the  head  of  Dover  street,  to 
be  repaired,  more  than  a  year  ago. 

Then,  in  the  report  of  1854,  for  the  year  1853,  I  find  this  :  - 

A  very  recent  examination  of  the  aqueduct  shows  that  the  deposits  mentioned 
in  the  last  annual  report  have  again  taken  place,  and  must  be  removed  within 
a  short  time.  The  peculiar  vegetable  substance,  occurring  in  patches  of  from 
one  inch  to  one  foot  in  diameter,  and  first  discovered  in  the  aqueduct  last  year, 
when  it  was  confined  to  the  mile  nearest  the  lake,  is  now  found  in  every  part 
of  the  aqueduct,  from  the  lake  to  Brookline  reservoir.  It  is  so  tender,  how- 
ever, that  the  ordinary  cleansing  is  sufficient  to  remove  it.  There  is  reason 
to  believe  that  it  grows  very  luxuriantly  in  comparatively  still  water. 

That  is  from  the  Engineer's  report.  The  Commissioners  have 
the  following :  — 

The  vegetable  substance,  which  is  mentioned  in  the  engineer's  report  as 
having  made  its  appearance  lately  in  the  aqueduct,  is  stated  by  botanists  to  be 
a  species  of  spongilla,  or  fresh-water  sponge.  There  is  probably  no  way  of 
preventing  its  growth;  it  is,  however,  easily  removed.  The  only  injury  it  is 
known  to  do  is  the  clogging  up  of  the  screens  at  the  reservoirs,  and  on  this 
account  it  has  become  quite  troublesome. 

That  was  in  1853.  Mr.  Chesbrough,  at  the  end  of  his  report, 
makes  the  following  remark  :  — 

Very  few  complaints  of  bad  water  have  been  made  during  the  year,  al- 
though there  was  no  general  flushing  of  the  pipes,  and  much  less  blowing  off 
at  dead  ends  than  usual.  The  enormous  quantity  of  water  passing  through 
the  pipes  daily,  it  was  thought,  was  quite  sufficient  to  prevent  stagnation,  except 
at  the  ends  of  courts. 

In  the  report  for  the  year  1854,  the  Commissioners  say  :  — 

While,  however,  the  Water  Board  would  congratulate  the  city  on  the  suffi- 
ciency of  the  supply,  etc.,  they  regret  to  be  obliged  to  report  upon  a  deterio- 
ration of  the  quality  of  the  water,  which  has  recently  been  most  unexpectedly 
found  to  be  so  universally  prevalent  as  to  be  not  only  a  source  of  much  annoy- 


64  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

ance  to  every  water-taker,  but  also  of  solicitude  to  all  who  feel  an  interest  in 
the  welfare  of  the  city.  It  was  first  observed  in  October  last,  and  consisted 
of  a  marked  and  peculiar  taste,  resembling,  in  the  opinion  of  some,  that  of 
fish ;  but  we  believe  in  that  of  a  great  majority  of  persons  that  of  cucumbers, 
or  some  similar  vegetable,  the  taste  being  accompanied  sometimes  by  a  dis- 
agreeable smell. 

On  the  presumption  that  it  was  local  in  its  origin,  and,  in  fact,  confined  to 
the  circulation  in  the  mains  and  distributing  service-pipes,  they  were  all  flushed 
out.  This,  it  was  hoped,  would  be  a  remedy  for  the  trouble,  as  it  certainly 
would  remove  all  sources  of  impurity  originating  in  and  confined  to  the  pipes 
themselves.  It  was,  however,  not  the  case ;  indeed,  in  most  instances,  the 
impurity  seemed  to  be  actually  increased  by  the  operation.  There  were  also 
other  anomalies  quite  difficult  to  account  for.  The  water  in  the  dead  ends  was 
frequently  proved  to  be  uninfected;  on  the  other  hand,  in  larger  pipes,  where 
the  current  was  continuous  and  rapid,  it  was  quite  offensive.  It  was  also  sat- 
isfactorily ascertained  that  the  water,  after  being  drawn  a  few  days,  lost  all  its 
repulsive  character  and  became  tasteless.  There  was  in  no  case  any  appear- 
ance of  fish,  or  any  other  foreign  matter  in  the  water,  discharged  from  the 
hydrants  and  stopcocks.  It  seemed  requisite  to  look  beyond  the  limits  of  the 
city  for  the  origin  of  the  difficulty ;  and,  upon  examination,  it  was  found  that 
the  water  in  the  Brookline  reservoir  and  the  lake  was  affected  precisely  the 
same  way.  An  analysis  by  a  scientific  chemist  was  ordered.  Dr.  C.  T.  Jack- 
son and  Prof.  Hosford,  of  Cambridge,  examined  the  water  at  different  parts  of 
the  lake  and  at  different  depths,  and  some  parts  of  the  water-shed,  and  made 
a  careful  analysis  of  the  water  at  the  lake,  and  also  in  different  parts  of  the 
city,  without  any  disclosure  being  made  to  either  of  them  of  the  places  whence  the 
several  specimens  of  water  had  been  taken.  The  investigation  was  conducted 
and  the  reports  were  made  independently  of  each  other,  and  without  mutual 
consultation,  and  they  did  not,  indeed,  see  eacli  other's  reports  untiltliey  were 
printed.  Both  reports  came  to  the  same  conclusion,  that  the  impurity  com- 
plained of  is  derived  from  vegetable  decomposition  existing  in  the  lake  itself; 
that  it  may  be  attributed  to  the  unusually  long  and  severe  drought  of  the  last 
summer,  and  to  the  subsequent  rains  acting  on  the  peculiar  soil  of  a  part  of  the 
lake,  and  on  the  whole  water-shed,  and  that  complete  relief  might  be  antici- 
pated from  the  natural  agency  of  the  approaching  cold  and  rains. 

A  description  of  Lake  Cochitnate  is  given  on  page  15  of  the 
report  of  the  Water  Board,  and  they  tell  how  it  can  be  affected. 
Then  they  say  :  — 

Round  pond,  near  Haverhill,  which  supplies  the  town,  examined  by  the  City 
Engineer,  was  found  to  be  in  the  same  condition,  and  Jamaica  pond  had  re- 
cently been  in  the  same  state.  Several  wells  near  the  lake,  and  in  other 
places,  have  had  their  water  affected  in  the  same  way,  and  the  water  in  Chic- 
opee  river  was,  for  a  time,  quite  offensive.  The  Superintendent  of  the  Al- 
bany Water  Works  reported  similar  trouble  in  Rensselaer  lake,  whence  their 
supply  was  derived  in  1853.  In  October  of  that  year  complaints  of  a  nause- 
ous, fishy  taste  were  made,  and  supposed  to  be  occasioned  by  a  small  fish 
lodged  in  the  supply  pipes.  The  evil  soon  became  universal,  and  it  was  ob- 
vious that  the  cause  instead  of  being  local  was  general.  In  some  places  the 
taste  was  accompanied  by  a  peculiar  smell,  which  was  very  offensive.  The 
taste  affected  individuals  very  differently.  Some  thought  it  fishy,  and  to 
others  it  had  the  taste  of  cucumber  so  strong  that  there  was  nothing  else  to 
which  it  could  be  compared.  A  thorough  examination  was  made,  and  the 
Superintendent  Avas  of  opinion  that  he  had  traced  the  cause  to  grass,  which 
was  found  growing  in  great  profusion  along  the  margin  of  the  lake.  The 
plant  had  shed  a  great  quantity  of  seeds  along  the  margin,  and  he  found  the 
water  above  it  offensive,  and  when  the  water  lying  upon  the  seed  was  taken 
into  the  mouth  he  thought  it  impossible  to  doubt  the  origin  of  the  impurity. 
The  taste  of  the  seeds  was  also  highly  offensive.  The  water  was  unusually 
high,  and  covers  a  luxuriant  growth  of  the  before-mentioned  grass.  On  the 
presumption  that  this  caused  the  trouble  the  water  was  lowered  beyond  the 


APPENDIX.  65 

reach  of  the  plant,  and  in  a  few  days  was  sensibly  improved,  and  in  three  or 
four  weeks  it  attained  its  usual  purity. 

That  is  the  Albany  report.     The  Cochituate  Board  say  :  — 

They  are  not  without  proof  that  the  same  trouble  which  now  exists  had 
been  observed  in  the  lake  in  past  years,  though  at  a  distant  period  of  time. 
The  chief  cause  of  the  impurity  they  .attribute  to  long  drought  and  hot 
weather  which  prevailed  during  the  season,  which  reduced  the  quantity  of 
water  and  exposed  a  large  extent  of  marsh  and  peat  land  connected  with  the 
lake  and  over  the  water-shed,  by  which  animal  and  vegetable  decomposition 
must  have  been  greatly  promoted,  and  the  products  washed  into  the  lake  by 
the  rains  which  began  to  fall  about  the  time  the  offensive  condition  of  the  water 
was  first  perceived.  If  this  cause  was  absolutely  demonstrated  as  the  true 
one,  it  would  be  expedient  to  stop  the  flow  of  the  water  from  the  peat  mead- 
ows, or  remove  the  peat,  and  thus  carry  out  the  plan  originally  proposed  by 
the  Commissioners,  who  early  expressed- their  fears  that  the  water  might  be 
contaminated  by  it. 

I  made  a  note  that  the  expense  was  probably  the  reason  the 
peat  was  not  removed.  They  thought  it  might  be  too  expensive 
to  remove  ;  and  then  they  say  the  cause  is  removed.  They  say  it 
now  demands  their  serious  attention  and  earnest  consideration  — 
that  is,  the  removal  of  the  peat  —  and  will  have  it.  They  refer  to 
other  causes  which  have  been  suggested,  such  as  fish  too  abun- 
dant, supposed  to  be1  the  cause  by  some,  or  too  few,  as  assumed  by 
others  ;  or  sickness  and  disease  among  the  fish.  The  presence  of 
dead  fish  or  fish-oil  in  the  water,  pertinaciously  adhered  toby  some, 
is  discredited  entirely  by  the  Board  and  the  chemists  emplo\'ed  by 
them.  To  the  great  majority  of  water-takers  the  taste  appears  to 
be  a  vegetable  one,  frequently  compared  to  that  of  cucumbers  ; 
and  they  have  no  idea  that  it  proceeds  from  animal  decomposition. 
Prof.  Hosford  makes  a  lengthy  report,  and  winds  up  with  the  fol- 
lowing paragraph :  — 

The  recent  peculiar  taste  of  the  Cochituate  water  is,  in  the  judgment  of  the 
undersigned,  due  chiefly  to  extracts,  more  or  less  volatile,  from  the  decaying 
minute  aquatic  organisms,  for  the  most  part  vegetable,  which,  during  the  late 
prolonged  drought,  have  been  produced  in  extraordinary  quantity  upon  the  low 
meadow,  marshes,  bog  and  peat  lands,  which  supply  the  surface-drainage  to 
Cochituate  lake. 

Dr.  Jackson  closes  his  lengthy  report  in  this  way :  — 

I  regret  that  we  have  not  been  able  to  settle  all  the  interesting  questions 
that  have  arisen  as  to  origin  of  the  impurity  complained  of.  This  much 
we  have  done  :  we  have  proved  that  the  peculiar  taste  of  the  water  does  not 
originate  in  the  pipes,  but  starts  at  the  fountain-head,  and  that  it  is  not  the 
result  of  animal  putrefaction,  but  of  vegetable  fermentation,  and  that  there  is 
nothing  deleterious  in  the  water.  There  is  good  reason  to  believe  that  the 
unpleasant  taste  of  Cochituate  water  is  rapidly  passing  away  from  operations 
naturally  taking  place  in  the  lake,  and  that  the  water  will  soon  be  as  good  as 
ever. 

Then,  in  the  report  for  the  year  1855,  the  Commissioners  say  :  — 

There  has  been  no  complaint  of  any  offensive  change  in  the  character  of  the 
water  during  the  year  similar  to  that  of  the  previous  "one.  The  impurities  of 
that  year  gradually  disappeared,  and  were  not  perceived  anywhere  about  the 
middle  of  February,  leaving  their  cause  and  origin  in  entire  obscurity.  We 
still  believe  the  most  plausible  suggestion  was  that  made  by  the  Water  Board, 
and  confirmed  by  the  opinions  and  able  researches  of  Drs.  Hosford  and 


66  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

Jackson,  that  the  remote  cause  was  to  be  attributed  to  the  long  drought 
and  heat  of  the  summer,  and  the  unusually  low  state  of  the  water  in  the  lake, 
and  was  the  result  of  vegetable  decomposition.  If  so,  the*  evil  was  one  we 
must  probably  contend  with  again,  and  it  becomes  important  that  the  water 
should  be  continually  watched  during  the  summer,  and  the  slightest  deterio- 
ration traced,  if  possible,  to  its  source.  For  a  short  period  an  impurity  simi- 
lar in  character,  but  not  so  intense,  was  clearly  distinguishable  in  the  north- 
ern division,  and  at  the  gate-house.  The  cause  was  traced  to  Whitney's 
meadow,  in  the  southern  division,  where  it  was  quite  offensive.  A  passage 
for  the  water  had  been  forced  over  the  dam  which  separates  that  meadow 
from  the  lake.  The  passage  was  closed  at  once,  and  shortly  after  the  peculiar 
taste  of  the  water  disappeared.  Dug  pond  was  not  admitted  into  the  lake 
during  the  season.  Snake  brook  was  allowed  to  pass  over  the  dam  without 
any  ill  consequences. 

The  Water  Board  regret  that  their  expectations  of  a  speedy  termination  of 
the  evil  were  not  completely  realized.  Their  own  observation,  and  the  infor- 
mation received  from  different  parts  of  the  city,  induced  them  to  believe  that 
about  the  middle  of  January,  or  a  little  sooner,  a  decided  improvement  had  be- 
gun in  the  water  in  the  city,  though  it  was  still  offensive,  and  at  some  times  and 
places  more  so  than  at  others.  Near  the  surface  of  the  lake  it  was  then  compara- 
tively pure,  but  at  the  depth  of  twenty-five  or  thirty  feet  in  the  northern 
division,  the  repulsive  taste  continued  about  as  manifest  as  it  was  previously. 
In  the  other  divisions  it  was  almost  entirely  tasteless.  It  was  also  discovered 
that  the  water  of  Dug  pond,  whose  purity  had  never  before  been  suspected,  had 
undergone  a  similar  deterioration,  and  at  a  depth  of  twenty-five  feet  clearly 
resembled  that  of  the  northern  division,  while  at  the  surface  it  had  no  offen- 
sive taste. 

The  improvement,  supposed  to  have  been  commenced  about  the  middle  of 
January,  went  on  increasing  until  the  1st  of  February.  At  that  time  the 
water  at  the  lake  seemed  to  have  acquired  its  former  purity.  Taken  from 
every  depth  in  the  northern  division  it  was  entirely  tasteless.  In  most 
places  where  the  deterioration  was  marked  and  decided,  there  is  now  (February) 
no  appearance  of  it. 

The  Engineer  says  :  — 

But  very  few  of  the  peculiar  vegetable  substances  heretofore  mentioned 
were  found  in  the  conduit. 

The  conduit  was  examined  in  December,  1855,  by  the  City  Engineer  and 
Mr.  Knowlton.  But  very  few  of  the  peculiar  vegetable  substances  heretofore 
mentioned  were  found  in  it.  On  the  28th  of  January,  185(3,  holes  were  cut 
in  the  ice  in  different  parts  of  the  lake,  and  water  was  drawn  from  a  depth  of 
sixty  feet,  and  from  various  lesser  depths.  There  was  no  perceptible  differ- 
ence in  the  taste,  but  it  all  appears  pure  and  sweet. 

In  their  report  for  1866  the  Board  say  nothing  about  the  qualitj^  of 
the  water.  The  Engineer  saj's  :  — 

During  the  entire  season  the  water  has  been  allowed  to  flow  freely  over 
the  meadows  connected  with  the  lake,  and  with  Snake  brook,  and  it  has  at 
all  times  been  perfectly  good. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  — Where  is  Snake  brook? 

Mr.  FITZGERALD. — It  is  the  nearest  brook  to  the  outlet  of  the 
lake. 

Mr.  SAWYER.  —  (Reading)  :  — 

The  conduit  was  thoroughly  cleansed  in  July,  between  Charles  river  and 
Brookline  reservoir. 

In  the  report  for  1857  the  Board  say  nothing  about  quality.  The 
Engineer  says :  — 


APPENDIX.  67 

The  quality  of  the  water  is  now  very  good,  and  has  been  throughout  the 
year,  except  a  few  days  in  the  fall,  just  after  some  heavy  rains,  when  a  slight 
vegetable  taste,  similar  to  what  has  been  observed  before,  was  found  in  it. 

In  the  report  for  1858  the  Board  say  nothing  about  quality.     The 
Engineer  says :  — 
The  water  has  been  of  the  very  best  quality  throughout  the  year. 

In  the  report  for  the  year  1859  there  is  nothing  about  quality. 
It  appears  that  there  was  a  break  in  the  conduit  about  that  time. 
In  the  report  for  1860  nothing  is  said  about  quality.  In  the  report 
for  186 1  the  Board  say  :  — 

The  quantity  and  quality  of  the  water  supplied  to  the  citizens  have  been  en- 
tirely satisfactory. 

In  the  report  for  the  next  year  (1862)  nothing  is  said  about 
quality.  The  interior  of  the  aqueduct  had  been  thoroughly  ex- 
amined and  cleansed. 

In  the  report  for  1863  the  Engineer  says  :  — 

The  conduit  was  thoroughly  examined  in  July  and  was  found  quite  clean, 
with  the  exception  of  a  small  section  between  the  lake  and  Station  100,  where 
there  was  a  considerable  accumulation  of  the  peculiar  vegetable  spongy 
matter  referred  to  in  previous  reports. 

The  Board  say  :  — 

The  aqueduct  (interior)  has  been  thoroughly  cleansed  and  examined  a 
number  of  times  by  the  Board,  the  City  Engineer,  and  the  Superintendent  of 
the  Division. 

The  Engineer  says  :  — 

The  water  has  been  shut  off  for  examination,  cleansing,  and  repairs  ten 
days  in  all  during  the  year. 

In  the  report  for  1864  the  Board  say  :  — 

The  water  in  the  conduit  has  been  shut  off  during  the  year  four  times,  in 
order  that  it  might  be  examined,  cleansed,  and  repaired. 

In  1866  they  began  to  make  their  reports  in  Ma}%  and  this 
report  is  for  sixteen  months.  They  are  apprehensive  of  a  short 
supply,  and  say  the  aqueduct  was  emptied  twelve  times  during  the 
year  and  examined  by  the  Commissioners,  the  City  Engineer,  and 
Superintendent.  The  Engineer's  report  sa}'s  :  — 

The  section  from  the  lake  to  Dadmun's  brook  waste-weir  was  found  to  be 
coated  with  the  peculiar  vegetable  matter  alluded  to  in  former  reports,  and 
has  been  thoroughly  cleansed  by  the  Superintendent. 

Nothing  was  said  about  quality. 

In  1867,  in  the  report  from  May,  1866,  they  say  that  portions 
of  the  conduit  were  examined  several  times  during  the  year.  There 
was  a  great  freshet  in  July,  and  the  level  of  the  lake  raised  eight 
inches  in  twenty-four  hours.  Nothing  is  said  about  quality. 

In  May,  1868,  the  Board  say  that  the  Brookline  reservoir  had  not 
been  cleaned  out  for  over  ten  3*ears.  An  examination  of  the  interior 
of  the  conduit  was  recently  made,  and  it  was  found  to  be  very  dirty 
and  slimy,  and  should  be  cleansed  before  hot  weather. 


68  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129 

In  the  report  made  in  Ma}-,  1869,  the  Board  say  there  was  an 
examination  of  the  conduit  in  one  day  ;  the  general  condition  was 
found  to  be  the  same  as  at  the  last  examination.  They  say :  — 

The  dirt  and  slime  in  the  section  of  the  conduit  near  the  lake  should  be 
removed  at  once. 

Other  portions  of  the  conduit  are  reported  as  clean. 
In  May,  1870,  the  Engineer  says  :  — 

The  annual  examination  of  the  interior  of  the  conduit  was  made  last  month. 
The  condition  was  much  the  same  as  last  year.  The  section  from  the  lake 
to  Dadmun's  brook  was  very  dirty,  even  worse  than  last  year,  but  since  the 
examination  it  has  been  thoroughly  cleaned. 

In  May,  1871,  they  report  that  the  conduit  was  examined  in 
April  and  found  to  be  generally  in  a  clean  condition ;  very  little 
dirt,  and  mcst  of  that  in  the  tunnel. 

In  May,  1872,  they  report  that  there  was  a  drought  during  the 
3rear  1871,  and  it  is  referred  to  by  the  Board  as  causing  great 
anxiety.  That  was  the  year  when  Mr.  J.  P.  Davis  entered  upon 
his  duties.  The  conduit  was  not  examined  at  all. 

In  Ma}-,  1873,  they  report  that  the  conduit  was  examined  on 
Oct.  12  and  13,  1872,  and  found  to  be  in  good  condition  ;  but  in 
the  transcript  of  the  record  is  the  following  :  — 

For  a  long  distance  (from  the  gate-house  to  Dadmun's  brook)  the  bottom 
is  very  sandy,  and  the  sides  are  covered  with  a  substance  resembling  sponge; 
there  is  considerable  moss  on  each  side  of  the  conduit,  and  considerable 
fungus. 

Mr.  Stanwood,  the  Superintendent  of  the  division,  in  his  report, 
says :  — 

The  section  between  the  gate-house  and  the  waste-weir,  at  Dadmun's  brook, 
was  found  to  be  very  foul,  being  covered  with  a  vegetable  growth  and  a  great 
deal  of  sand  on  the  bottom,  that  was  carried  in  by  the  pumps. 

That  was  the  year  they  pumped,  on  account  of  the  water  being 
low.  (Reading)  :  — 

October  25th  the  water  was  drawn  off  and  kept  off  four  days,  and  the 
section  that  required  to  be  cleaned  was  attended  to. 

In  the  report  of  May,  .1874,  it  appears  that  the  conduit  was  ex- 
amined November  19  and  20,  1873,  and  again  April  14,  1874. 

In  the  report  of  May,  1875,  there  is  the  statement  that  there  was 
drought  and  pumping  in  1874  from  September  to  February,  1875. 
The  conduit  was  examined  December  3,  1874,  by  Wightman  and 
Cunningham.  The  Superintendent  of  the  AVestern  Division  gives 
with  his  report  a  table  of  all  recorded  examinations  of  the  aque- 
duct. 

In  May,  1876,  the  report  sa}*s  the  conduit  was  examined  July 
27,  1875,  and  there  is  the  following  statement:  — 

Early  in  October,  1875,  complaints  began  to  be  made  at  the  office  of  the 
Water  Board  that  Ooehituate  water  tasted  badly,  and  was  unfit  for  use.  The 
taste  was  variously  described ;  some  thought  it  like  cucumbers,  others  like 
fish-oil,  still  others  like  dead  leaves;  but,  as  a  rule,  it  was  spoken  of  as  a 
cucumber  taste.  At  first,  the  complaints  came  from  the  South  End  and 


APPENDIX.  69 

Back  Bay ;  later  from  the  West  and  North  Ends ;  finally  from  South  and 
East  Boston.  Even  after  the  taste  became  very  wide-spread,  people  living 
where  there  was  but  little  circulation  in  the  pipes,  as  in  some  parts  of  Dor- 
chester, reported  that  the  water  supplied  to  them  was  unusually  clear  and 
sweet. 

October  23d  the  lake  was  visited  and  samples  of  water  taken  at  various 
points  and  at  all  depths ;  but  not  the  slightest  trace  of  the  peculiar  taste  could 
be  discovered.  Samples  taken  where  the  water  was  shallow,  and  some  from 
points  near  the  bottom  in  deep  water,  had  the  earthy  taste  of  pond-water ; 
but  the  greater  portion  of  them  were  clear  and  tasteless. 

October  2Gth  the  Brookline  and  Chestnut-Hill  reservoirs  were  visited;  but 
no  cucumber  taste  could  be  detected  in  the  water  contained  in  them.  Water 
taken  in  front  of  the  screens  of  the  efflux  gate-house  at  Chestnut  Hill  was 
tasteless,  but  a  sample  taken  from  behind  them,  at  the  mouth  of  the  outlet 
pipe,  had  the  cucumber  taste  in  a  slight  degree. 

At  that  date  the  taste  may  be  said  to  have  been  confined  to  the  water  in 
the  pipes,  but  the  next  day  it  was  discovered  in  all  parts  of  the  Bradlee 
basin  of  Chestnut-Hill  reservoir,  having  spread  through  that  large  volume  of 
about  500,000,000  gallons  of  water  in  one  night,  apparently.  A  thunder 
shower  #nd  violent  winds  and  agitation  of  the  water  during  the  night  may 
have  aided  in  developing  the  taste.  The  reservoir  was  shut  off  immediately, 
and  in  a  short  time  no  taste  could  be  detected  in  the  water  delivered  in  the 
city,  indicating  that  the  trouble  originated  in  the  reservoir,  or,  at  least,  that 
the  conditions  necessary  to  develop  the  taste  existed  there. 

On  the  night  of  December  3d  the  gate  was  opened  about  one  foot,  and 
three  or  four  million  gallons  of  water  let  into  the  distributing  pipes  ;  but  the 
effect  was  so  disagreeable  that  the  gate  was  closed  the  following  morning. 
The  trouble  continued  until  April  1,  when  the  water  was  let  on  to  the  city, 
and  the  reservoir  has  been  in  constant  use  since. 

Professor  Nichols,  of  the  Institute  of  Technology ;  Mr.  Edward 
Burgess,  Secretary  of  the  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History  ;  Pro- 
fessor Farlow,  of  Harvard  University,  made  thorough  examina- 
tion of  the  water  during  the  year,  which  are  all  given  in  the 
report. 

The  report  of  May,  1877,  says  :  — 

The  water  from  Cochituate  lake  during  the  past  year  has  been  of 
good  quality,  and  no  complaints  have  been  heard  from  any  quarter.  The 
unaccountable  cucumber  taste,  which  for  a  while  shut  out  the  use  of  the 
Bradlee  basin  of  the  Chestnut-Hill  reservoir,  to  which  it  was  confined,  has 
unaccountably  disappeared,  and  since  the  gate  was  opened,  on  the  1st  of 
April,  187G,  the  basin  has  been  in  use,  and  the  quality  of  the  water  unex- 
ceptionable. The  mingling  of  the  Sudbury  with  that  of  the  Cochituate 
water  has  had  no  unfavorable  effect  on  its  quality,  and  there  is  every  reason 
to  believe  that  the  quality  of  the  Sudbury-river  water,  when  the  works  are 
completed,  will  be  perfectly  satisfactory. 

That  brings  us  up  to  the  time  of  the  Boston  Water  Board. 
Now,  I  have  here  the  report  of  Professor  Nichols,  who  made 
weekly  examinations  ;  but  I  will  read  on  from  my  memorandum  :  — 

The  conduit  was  examined  (says  the  report  of  May,  1878)  but  once, 
May  8,  1877.  A  certain  amount  of  brushing  and  cleaning  was  done.  No 
complaint  of  the  quality  of  the  water  was  made. 

In  the  report  of  May,  1879,  there  is  an  interesting  statement  of 
Professor  Ripley  Nichols,  giving  the  results  of  his  analysis  of  the 
water  supplied  by  the  Cochituate  works.  As  in  previous  years 
there  is  some  variation  from  time  to  time  in  the  quality  of  Boston 
water;  but  he  concludes  his  paragraph  on  this  subject  with  this 
remark :  — 


70  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

We  have  every  reason  to  congratulate  ourselves  upon  the  character  of  our 
water  supply. 

The  Engineer  sa}rs  the  yearty  examination  of  the  conduit  was 
made  June  11,  and  no  noticeable  change  since  the  previous  exami- 
nation was  found. 

I  do  not  know  but  that  covers  the  whole  ground.  Professor 
Nichols  made  these  examinations.  His  reports  are  included  in 
the  annual  reports  of  the  Boston  Water  Board,  and  they  speak  for 
themselves. 

But  after  this  trouble  with  the  Chestnut-Hill  reservoir,  we  had 
frequent  consultations  with  Mr.  Davis,  and  Professor  Nichols  was 
employed  at  the  time,  and  he  was  making  weekly  examinations  of 
the  water,  the  results  of  which  are  all  here.  The  result  of  those 
examinations  was  that  he  said  there  was  nothing  objectionable  in 
the  water,  and  we  had  reason  to  congratulate  ourselves  upon  the 
character  of  our  water  supply.  Those  results  are  all  recorded  in 
the  reports  of  the  Boston  Water  Board,  and  they  speak  for  them- 
selves. But  the  question  is  often  asked,  What  have  the  Boston 
Water  Board  been  doing  about  this  trouble?  They  were  in  with 
the  most  eminent  professors,  chemists,  and  engineers,  getting 
advice  and  information  from  them.  Professor  Nichols  was  making 
weekly  examinations,  and  doing  what  it  was  impossible  for  the 
members  of  the  Water  Board  to  do  themselves. 

I  have  some  memoranda  here.  In  the  report  of  1879  the 
Engineer  says :  — 

The  yearly  examination  of  the  conduit  was  made  June  11,  1878,  and  no 
noticeable  change  since  the  previous  examination  was  found. 

The  examination  of  a  part  of  the  conduit  was  made  by  F.  O. 
Stearns,  who  says  in  his  report :  — 

Some  workmen  were  scraping  the  sides  over  the  gate-house.  I  noticed 
after  passing  them  that  the  vegetable  growth  had  increased,  and  that  it  ex- 
tended, although  diminishing,  nearly  a  mile  from  the  gate-house. 

Mr.  Stearns'  examination  was  from  Lake  Cochituate  to  Dad- 
mun's  brook. 

I  have  a  memorandum  here  that  Reservoir  No.  3  was  filled  for 
the  first  time  in  December,  1878. 

In  the  report  of  Ma3r,  1880,  the  Engineer  says  :  — 

The  quality  of  Cochituate  water  has  been  good  throughout  the  year.  The 
Sudbury  has  been  somewhat  colored,  and  at  times  has  a  slightly  bitter  taste, 
which  was  noticed  in  the  city  late  in  the  fall,  when  the  river-water  was  sent 
directly  into  the  distributing  pipes  without  passing  through  Chestnut-Hill 
reservoir.  The  rest  of  the  time  Cochituate  and  Sudbury  were  mixed. 

In  the  early  part  of  September  an  abundant  growth  of  algce  developed 
itself  in  Reservoir  No.  3.  It  was  immediately  isolated  from  the  rest  of  the 
supply,  and  owing,  probably,  to  that  precaution  the  alga  did  not  show  them- 
selves, except  in  small  quantities,  in  Basin  No  1,  Farm  pond,  and  Chestnut- 
Hill  reservpir.  The  presence  of  algee  in  Basin  No.  3  was  observed  until 
the  beginning  of  December,  when  the  water,  having  resumed  its  former 
quality,  it  was  drawn  as  usual  for  the  supply  of  the  city.  These  microscopic 
algcsvrere  of  two  kinds,  one  having  a  somewhat  globular  form,  the  other  pre- 
senting the  appearance  of  a  curved  string  of  beads.  The  cause  of  their 
growth  is  not  known,  and  no  known  remedy  can  be  applied.  The  formation 
of  algce  seems  to  be  wholly  independent  of  the  depth  of  the  water,  but  closely 


APPENDIX.  71 

follows  the  change  of  temperature,  increasing  when  it  rises,  and  diminishing 
when  it  lowers. 

There  were  no  algce  in  Basin  No.  2.  The  clathrocystis  (algce), 
another  kind,  appeared  in  Horn  pond  in  large  quantities  in  July, 
and  found  its  way  into  the  Mystic  and  the  distributing  pipes.  It 
could  not  be  stopped  with  screens. 

Then  Mr.  Davis  made  a  report  upon  filtration,  and  Professor 
Nichols  another  on  algce.  Then  the  Superintendent  discovered 
fish  dying  in  Chestnut-Hill  reservoir,  and  that  was  referred  to 
Professor  Nichols,  who  gave  as  a  cause  a  vegetable  parasite 
attaching  itself  to  the  skin  of  fish,  and  feeding  on  their  bodies. 
This  disappeared  in  a  few  weeks. 

In  May,  1881,  the  algce  were  reported  to  have  appeared  in  basins 
Nos.  1  and  3,  and  the  encumber  taste  in  Lake  Cochituate,  which 
is  so  recent  that  3'ou  all  know  about  it. 

I  thought  it  certainly  would  be  useful  to  me,  and  that  it  might 
be  well  for  the  Commission  to  know  what  had  been  the  history  of 
the  trouble  with  the  water.  I  think  that  if  you  read  the  reports 
you  will  find  that  from  the  very  beginning,  or  within  a  very  short 
time,  they  began  to  complain  of  the  water.  In  some  seasons  it 
has  been  very  marked. 

I  do  not  'know  how  far  the  Commission  want  to  go  over  this 
ground,  and  I  don't  know  but  they  have  already  been  over  it.  It 
has  required  some  little  labor  to  go  over  what  I  have  done  ;  but  it 
is  an  interesting  account  of  the  trouble  with  the  Cochituate  water 
long  before  the  Sudbury-river  supply  was  thought  of  or  used  ;  and 
there  seems  to  be  some  similarity  in  the  experience  with  both 
supplies. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  All  the  reports  seem  to  point  to  the  same  causes 
of  this  cucumber  taste,  and  all  seem  to  depend  upon  the  presence 
of  the  spongilla,  —  although  it  was  not  always  recognized  as  being 
present. 

Mr.  SAWYER. — I  do  not  know  how  far  it  might  be  attributed  to 
that  cause.  They  seem  to  have  spent  some  time  upon  it,  and  men- 
tion it  as  being  found. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  But  they  do  not  seem  to  connect  the  smell  of  the 
sponge  with  the  cucumber  taste ;  whereas  Prof.  Remsen  does  make 
such  a  connection. 

Mr.  SAWYER. — Yes.  As  will  be  observed,  there  was  a  time 
when  the  question  with  the  Cochituate  Water  Board  was,  whether 
they  did  not  make  a  mistake  in  not  removing  the  peat  from  the 
shallow  places  in  Lake  Cochituate.  They  did  not  consider  it 
absolutely  essential,  and  it  was  not  removed.  But  afterwards, 
when  the}'  raised  the  question  again,  the  water  became  all  right, 
and  then  they  thought  it  was  not  worth  while  to  remove  it. 

Dr.  BLAKE. — But  that  seemed  to  connect  the  lowering  of  the 
water,  and  the  consequent  exposure  of  these  wide  margins  and 
flats,  with  the  disagreeable  taste  of  the  water. 

Mr.  SAWYER. — Yes,  sir.  I  have  made  these  notes  and  read 
them  without  any  opinion  ;  but  merely  to  get  at  the  facts.  There 
is  one  thing  more.  When  I  was  on  the  Board  before,  if  anything 
came  along  that  was  interesting  I  used  to  pick  it  up  and  put  it 


72  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.   129. 

away  for  future  reference.  Among  other  things  I  came  across 
this  document  on  the  New  York  water  supply.  4What  I  want  to 
call  attention  to  is  this :  it  has  been  mentioned  here,  and  the  im- 
pression was  left,  that  the  Croton  water  was  better  than  ours,  and 
that  no  fault  had  been  found  with  it.  Now,  I  thought  I  would 
take  the  following  extracts  from  the  editorials  of  five  leading  New 
York  papers,  in  regard  to  the  threatened  calamity  from  this  source. 
This  was  in  1876.  The  title  of  the  pamphlet  is  "  New  York  Water 
Supply,"  and  was  published  in  1876.  (Reading)  :  — 

OUR  FILTHY  AND  DISGUSTING  CROTON. — Our  people  are,  perhaps,  not 
fully  aware  that  they  are  daily  pouring  down  their  throats  water  absolutely 
reeking  with  filth  of  the  most  disgusting  quality.  In  a  show  window  at  the 
corner  of  Broadway  and  Seventeenth  street  there  are  now  on  exhibition  two 
jars  of  water, — one  containing  a  yellowish,  dirty  liquid,  somewhat  like  kero- 
sene. That  is  our  Croton,  from  the  regular  supply-pipe.  It  would  be  amus- 
ing, if  it  were  not  so  serious  a  matter,  to  witness  the  astonishment  depicted  on 
the  countenances  of  the  people  that  congregate  there,  contemplating  the  seri- 
ous effect  on  their  health  and  that  of  their  children,  as  it  occurs  to  them  that 
this  liquid  is  their  daily  drink.  Something  must  be  done,  and  that  quickly, 
or  the  health  of  more  than  a  million  of  people  will  be  imperilled. 

Many  private  families  and  hotels  are  resorting  to  other  sources  for  water 
for  table  use. 

Through  the  Croton  valley  are  stables,  slaughter-houses,  and  privies, 
drained  into  the  water  that  New  Yorkers  must  drink. 

An  examination  of  the  Croton  shed  showed  a  general  destitution  of  water 
prevailing  in  the  whole  section.  Croton  lake  is  a  reservoir  of  filth,  and  the 
storage-reservoirs  a  repository  of  farm  filth. 

MALARIA  IN  CROTON  WATER.  —  Dr.  Lente,  a  distinguished  physician  of 
Cold  Spring,  Putnam  Co.,  attributes  the  malaria  in  this  city  to  the  drawing 
down  of  the  reservoirs  and  lakes  in  this  country  to  supply  the  Croton.  The 
general  effect  of  the  present  system  is  to  expose  thousands  of  acres  of  land 
previously  under  water  to  the  air,  rotting  and  parching  in  the  sun,  then 
steeped  in  rain-water  with  the  first  shower,  which,  when  thus  polluted,  finds 
its  Avay  to  the  city  conduits. 

THE  CROTON  CESSPOOL  'SYSTEM.  —  Is  it  possible  that  the  engineers  of  the 
Croton  aqueduct  cannot  devise  a  remedy  for  the  fearful  evils  that  surround 
us,  arising  from  an  impure  supply  of  water  to  this  city?  Have  we  reached 
the  limit  of  an  engineering  skill  in  this  respect,  and  is  the  condition  of  the 
Croton  water  to  grow  from  bad  to  worse?  These  are  questions  which  every 
intelligent  citizen  of  New  York  is  asking  just  now,  in  view  of  the  formidable 
dangers  to  the  public  health,  which  the  horrible  condition  of  Croton  water 
creates. 

THE  FOUL  CROTON  WATER.  — The  truth  is  that  our  water  system  is  being 
botched,  and  no  amount  of  scientific  twaddle  can  conceal  the  fact.  Water 
that  is  charged  with  objectionable  animal  matter,  the  drainage  of  farm  lands 
and  swampy  grounds ;  and,  in  fact,  made  the  medium  of  conveying  away  the 
refuse  of  a  thickly  settled  region,  cannot  be  filtered  by  "contact"  with  the 
great  motionless  mass  of  water  at  the  dam ;  neither  will  the  bright  idea  of 
cleaning  the  park  reservoirs  help  matters.  The  supply  is  poisoned  at  its 
source. 

THE  CROTON  SHAM.  — The  whole  Croton  system  is  a  sham  and  a  delusion 
no  longer  endurable.  It  is  a  fraud  on  the  people  to  spend  another  dollar  to 
perpetuate  it.  Better  go  to  Lake  Ontario  at  once  if  necessary,  — no  matter 
what  the  cost,  — rather  than  suffer  the  losses  and  discomforts  entailed  on  this 
great  city  through  this  great  deception.  It  is  notorious  that  for  the  last  five 
years  there  has  not  been  a  dwelling-house  in  the  higher  districts  that  has  had 
a  flow  of  water  above  the  second  story,  and  much  of  this  time  manufacturers 
and  others  have  been  scrimped,  and  often  compelled  to  suspend  business  al- 
together, because  of  the  meagre  supply.  This  condition  of  things  began  in 
1868,  and  has  been  growing  worse  ever  since,  until  it  is  no  longer  bearable. 
For  the  hundredth  time  we  are  now  told  again  by  the  officials  not  to  be  alarmed, 


APPENDIX.  73 

that  there  is  an  abundance  of  water  lying  around  loose  up  in  Putnam  and 
Duchess  counties,  and  it  only  needs  plenty  of  new  ponds  to  give  us  a  bounti- 
ful supply.  We  don't  believe  it.  We  were  told  the  same  thing  repeatedly 
when  the  new  Boyd's  reservoir  was  under  construction,  and,  if  possibly  that 
failed  to  meet  the  demands  in  time  of  great  drought,  then  drawing  down  the 
lakes  was  certain  to  supply  the  deficiency.  Boyd's  reservoir  has  been  finished 
and  filled,  and  the  last  drop  drawn  out  "of  it.  The  lakes  have  been  drawn 
from  to  an  extent  never  intended,  threatening  the  health  of  the  entire  section, 
and  arousing  the  indignation  of  Putnam  county  residents ;  and  still  we  are 
suffering  from  thirst  and  famine  in  the  city  never  before  experienced. 
Away  with  any  more  promises  of  reliance  from  that  section ;  but  let  us  de- 
mand that  those  whose  business  it  is  shall  look,  without  a  day's  delay,  to  some 
other  source  of  water  supply  for  this  famishing  population,  which  will  guar- 
antee an  abundance  of  pure  quality  now  and  for  all  time. 

I  read  these  not  for  the  purpose  of  having  any  effect  upon  this 
investigation  as  regards  our  water  supply,  because  it  seems  to  me 
that  it  is  very  important  that  what  this  Commission  was  appointed 
for  should  be  attended  to ;  but  I  read  them  to  show  that  they  have 
had  the  same  state  of  things  in  New  York  that  we  have  had  here. 


STATEMENT   OF    SAMUEL    H.  DURGIN,  M.D.,  CHAIRMAN    OP    THE 
BOARD  OF  HEALTH  OF  BOSTON. 

The  CHAIRMAN.  —  Dr.  Durgin,  the  Commission  would  be  pleased 
to  hear  what  your  opinion  is  in  regard  to  the  water,  and  what  the 
cause  of  the  impurity  is,  whether  you  consider  it  bad  for  the  health 
of  our  citizens,  and  whatever  remarks  you  would  like  to  make. 

Dr.  DURGIN.  —  I  do  not  know  particularly  why  I  am  summoned 
before  the  Commission,  except  from  the  position  I  hold,  and 
from  the  fact  that  for  the  last  two  j'ears  in  the  reports  of  the 
Board  of  Health  I  have  taken  occasion  to  reflect  what  seemed  to 
me  to  be  the  popular  feeling  in  regard  to  the  water  supply.  I  do 
not  come  here  to-day  of  my  own  accord.  I  came  because  you  have 
summoned  me,  and  I  am  not  here  to  attack  or  defend  anybody 
whatever. 

For  the  last  two  years  it  has  come  under  my  observation  and 
notice  that  there  has  been  quite  a  considerable  dissatisfaction 
among  the  inhabitants  of  Boston  in  regard  to  our  water  supply, 
and  it  has  come  under  my  own  notice  that  the  taste  and  appear- 
ance and  the  smell  of  the  water  we  have  used  were  not  pleasing. 
From  some  examinations  which  have  occurred  to  me,  it  has  seemed 
that  the  water  was  not  of  the  character  that  it  ought  to  be. 
Whether  it  was  all  that  we  could  reasonably  expect  under  the  cir- 
cumstances is  something  that  I  am  not  prepared  to  say.  I  do  not 
know  that  I  have  anything  to  say  further  than  I  have  said  in  the 
last  two  reports,  and  which,  as  I  said  before,  reflect  that  feeling 
which  I  have  gathered  from  those  who  have  complained  of  the 
water  to  us,  and  as  I  have  gathered  from  the  expressions  outside 
of  the  Board  of  Health  office. 

There  have  been  a  great  many  complaints  from  different  classes 
of  persons  in  Boston  for  the  last  two  years.  I  have  always  re- 
ferred people  to  the  Water  Board  and  the  City  Engineer,  the  parties 
who  were  entrusted  with  the  care  of  the  water  supply.  In  one  in- 


74  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

stance  I  had  a  specimen  of  the  water  taken  and  given  to  Professor 
Wood  to  examine,  with  the  result  which  has  been  recorded  in  the 
Board  of  Health  reports,  expressing  the  fact  that  there  was  an  ex- 
cessive amount  of  vegetable  matter  in  the  water,  although  not,_in 
the  opinion  of  Dr.  Wood,  to  a  dangerous  extent.  Last  fall,  owing 
to  some  investigations  that  the  Board  were  pursuing,  we  went  up 
to  the  source  of  the  water  supply  at  Sudbury  river,  and  saw  the 
basins  and  Lake  Cochituate.  We  found  Farm  pond  containing 
water  in  every  appearance  like  that  which  we  are  getting  at  our 
faucets — colored,  and  having  the  same  cucumber  taste  such  as  we 
got  in  the  city.  We  also  found  that  same  taste  in  Chestnut-Hill 
reservoir,  but  I  think  not  elsewhere.  In  Basin  No.  2,  which  is  the 
upper  basin  on  the  Sudbury  river,  the  water  was  in  a  fair  condi- 
tion, somewhat  colored.  In  Basin  No.  1  the  water  smelled  very 
badly ;  it  was  bad  in  Basin  No.  3  the  same.  Lake  Cochituate  and 
Brookline  reservoir  seemed  to  be  in  good  condition,  except  at  the 
northerly  end  of  the  lake,  where  there  was  a  portion  of  the  dam 
off,  which  was  in  a  very  filthy  state  indeed,  receiving  the  drainage 
from  a  portion  of  Natick.  That  water  was  being  filtered  through 
a  dyke  of  sand  or  gravel  into  Lake  Cochituate.  Although  the 
water  below  it  did  not  contain  the  filtering  particles  that  the  water 
above  it  did,  the  taste  and  condition  were  not  so  very  different. 
This  was  to  me  a  disgusting  appearance. 

I  would  sa}%  in  behalf  of  those  who  complained  to  the  Board  of 
Health,  that,  if  it  is  possible  to  improve  the  water,  it  seems  to  me 
that  it  is  due  to  the  citizens  to  have  it  done.  I  should  say,  as  a 
citizen  of  Boston,  that  I  am  not  pleased  with  the  taste,  the  appear- 
ance, or  the  smell  of  the  water  to-day. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  What  do  you  mean  by  to-day,  doctor? 

A.  The  most  of  the  time  for  the  last  two  years,  and  I  should 
say  that  even  to-day  it  does  not  seem  to  me,  from  my  own  unaided 
senses,  that  the  water  is  quite  as  good  as  it  ought  to  be. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  You  said  the  water  was  analyzed  by  Prof. 
Wood,  and  he  thought  there  was  too  much  vegetable  matter  in  it, 
although  not  enough  in  his  judgment  to  be  dangerous.  Is  that 
what  I  understand? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  danger  would  you  expect  from  an  excess  of  vegetable 
matter  ? 

A.  I  should  expect,  in  a  certain  class  of  persons,  it  might  un- 
favorabty  affect  the  digestive  organs. 

Q.    In  what  class  of  persons? 

A.   The  weak  and  sickly  class. 

Q.  Would  the  fact  that  it  did  so  be  brought  under  your  atten- 
tion as  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Health,  in  any  way? 

A.  I  do  not  know  that  it  would  specially.  We  do  not  get  sick 
reports,  we  get  death  reports.  If  there  was  a  certain  disease 
prevailing  which  might  be  attributable  to  some  special  cause,  it 
would  come  under  our  notice  directly  or  indirectly,  and  would  be 
likely  to  set  an  investigation  on  foot.  But  the  matter  of  saying 
that  a  certain  person  has  been  made  sick  by  drinking  Cochituate 
water  is  not.  easy  of  demonstration.  There  are  many  causes  of 


APPENDIX.  75 

disease,  we  might  say,  which  we  believed  to  be  such,  but  yet  are 
not  susceptible  of  the  easiest  demonstration.  I  do  not  know  that 
I  have  been  mindful  of  any  special  case  of  disease  brought  about 
by  drinking  this  water.  Neither  do  I  believe  it  is  necessary  that 
we  should  have  found  some  person  ill  or  dying,  as  a  direct  result  of 
drinking  this  water,  in  order  to  say  that  the  water  is  not  good  or 
healthy  to  use. 

Q.  ISo  far  as  the  vegetable  matter  goes  you  think  it  would,  proba- 
bly, unfavorably  affect  the  digestion,  although  no  special  case  has 
been  brought  to  3*our  notice  as  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Health  ? 

A.    That  is  the  proper  statement. 

Q.  Now,  if  the  water  had  an  excess  of  sewage  in  it,  the  ten- 
dency would  be  toward  typhoid  fever,  would  it  not? 

A.  I  do  not  know  as  I  am  able  to  say  it  would  produce  typhoid 
fever.  It  might  produce  other  diseases. 

Q.  But,  so  far  as  excess  of  sewage,  chemical  analysis  does  not 
show  that?  Although  the  water  coming  into  Pegan  brook  is  very 
filthy,  the  general  effect  upon  the  water  supply  is  not  perceptible? 

A.  I  do  not  know  that  the  effect  of  Pegan  brook  upon  our  water 
supply  here  in  the  city  has  been  demonstrated  at  all.  Neither 
would  I  regard  it  necessary  to  demonstrate  at  this  end  of  the  pipe 
that  there  is  an  element  of  sewage  at  Natick,  in  order  to  say  that 
that  is  wrong  and  should  be  remedied. 

Q.  Now,  as  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Health,  3*011  must  be  cog- 
nizant of  laws  affecting  the  pollution  of  water  supplies,  are  you 
not?  Or,  does  not  that  case  come  under  your  jurisdiction? 

A.   I  do  not  know  the  special  application  of  your  question. 

Q.  I  want  to  know  whether  you  are  familiar  with  the  laws 
which  govern  the  pollution  of  water  supplies  in  this  State  ? 

A.  No,  sir ;  not  specially  familiar  with  them,  having  nothing  to 
lead  me  to  stucty  them  specially.  We  have  not  the  slightest  thing 
to  do  with  the  water  supply. 

Q.   Not  with  the  enforcement  of  the  laws? 

A.   No,  sir. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  — Not  specially,  but  professionally,  you  are  familiar 
with  the  general  causes  of  pollution  ? 

A.    In  a  general  way. 

Q.  And  in  connection  with  the  water  supply  have  you  formed 
any  opinion  as  to  the  causes  of  the  dangers  which  exist? 

A.  I  have  gathered  some  general  notions  in  regard  to  it.  They 
are  not  what  those  of  chemists,  and  men  who  have  given  special 
study  in  that  direction,  would  be,  —  not  by  any  means. 

Q.  Well,  as  a  physician  in  charge  of  what  we  may  call  the  sani- 
tation of  the  city,  you  have  given  more  than  an  average  physi- 
cian's attention  to  the  causes  of  disease?  Now,  looking  at  it  from 
that  point,  and  from  3*0111*  knowledge  of  the  diseases  prevalent  in 
the  city,  do  you  think  the  presence  of  a  large  amount  of  vegetable 
matter  in  any  way  contributes  towards  the  sickness  of  our  com- 
munity ? 

A.    I  should  not  have  the  slightest  doubt  of  it  in  the  world. 

Q.   That  is,  you  have  no  doubt  that  a  certain  class  of  idiosyn- 


76  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

crasies  are  affected  by  water  which  would  not  be  dangerous  to  the 
great  mass  of  people  ? 

A.    That  is  a  fact. 

Q.  So  that  without  being  able  to  come  to  it  directly,  still  you, 
as  a  ph}*sician,  recognize  its  effect  upon  certain  classes,  while  it 
would  not  affect  the  entire  communit}^? 

A.  The  effect  of  a  change  of  water,  or,  perhaps,  a  storm,  might  have 
a  general  influence  upon  the  community,  that  would  be  general,  not 
special.  The  lightning  may  strike,  and  you  can  see  just  who  it  hit, 
and  say  the  lightning  did  that  mischief.  But,  in  the  water  suppty, 
you  may  have  a  degree  of  pollution  which  }'ou  ma}'  sa}',  in  a  general 
way,  debilitates.  It  does  not  do  the  work  of  pure  water  for  the 
human  economy ;  but  you  cannot  say,  perhaps,  that  that  child  or 
that  woman,  or  that  man,  died  because  he  drank  that  water.  You 
may  be  able  to  say  that  that  person  was  unfavorably  influenced  by 
drinking  water  which  was  not  of  a  good  quality. 

Q.  Diarrhoea  or  imperfect  digestion  might  be  the  result  of  drink- 
ing water,  which,  to  a  robust  person,  might  not  be  dangerous? 

A.   Certainly. 

Q.  And  you  have  had  instances  of  such  cases  brought  to  your 
notice  ? 

A.  Yes,  sir.  It  is  within  a  few  days  I  have  heard  a  very  hon- 
orable plrysician  of  our  society  sa}r  that  he,  himself,  was  very  un- 
favorably affected  —  speaking  in  the  most  confident,  positive 
way  —  by  drinking  the  Cochituate  water,  —  a  man  who  has  been 
very  highly  honored  in  this  State  and  by  his  profession. 

Q.  In  the  analysis  made  by  the  Board  of  Health  of  the  water, 
what  has  been  the  result  as  to  the  amount  of  solid  matters  found 
in  the  water,  —  what  percentage  ? 

A.  I  have  them  not.  It  is  in  the  report  of  the  Board  of  Health 
of  1881,  with  remarks.  The  remarks  were  brief,  and  by  Professor 
Wood,  and  to  the  effect  that  there  was  an  excess  of  vegetable 
substances.  I  should  say,  perhaps,  only  in  guessing  at  it,  that 
there  was  double  the  amount  of  vegetable  substances  that  there 
should  be. 

Q.  Have  you  any  account  of  the  methods  of  purifying  water ; 
have  3rou  &uy  suggestions  of  a  remedial  character  to  make  ? 

A.  I  have  thought  that  if  we  are  to  continue  our  water  supply 
by  means  of  rivers  and  storage-basins,  those  basins  should,  in 
the  first  place,  be  deprived  of  the  vegetable  substances  and  loam 
which  we  know  are  very  likely  to  give  rise  to  the  growth  and  decay 
of  an  excess  of  vegetable  matter,  which  is  almost  necessarily  the 
case  where  there  is  a  rise  and  fall  of  the  water,  and  that  the}r  should 
be  properly  prepared ;  that  they  should  have  a  uniform  depth,  if 
possible,  and  that  they  should  be  deprived  of  vegetable  sub- 
stances. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  —  You  say  if  we  are  to  continue  that  means  of 
supply?  Do  you  know  any  other  means  of  supply  that  Boston  can 
get? 

A,  There  is  sometimes  a  doubt  expressed  in  the  minds  of  some 
people  as  to  the  desirability  of  getting  a  water  supply  by  means 
of  rivers  and  lakes,  they  being  so  constantly  subjected  to  lowering 


APPENDIX.  77 

and  raising,  and  needful  cleaning,  which  always  means  mischief. 
You  cannot  drain  oif  a  lake  or  pond  or  basin  without  killing  off 
all  the  live  animals  and  exposing  surfaces  to  a  condition  of  air 
which  is  uncommon  to  it,  and  thereby  giving  rise  to  a  vegetable 
growth  which  must  die  after  the  basin  is  filled  again  ;  and  there- 
fore, after  a  time,  get  impure  water  from  the  death  of  the  animal 
organisms,  and  from  the  death  of  grasses  and  other  vegetable 
growth.  In  view  of  all  these  liabilities  it  has  sometimes  seemed 
to  me  as  if  it  would  be  a  better  plan  to  take  the  water  from  the 
surface  by  excavations,  so  that  the  water  as  given  to  the  people 
should  be  filtered  so  as  to  be  of  uniform  temperature,  and  be  clear 
of  objectionable  particles,  and  have  that  advantage  which  water 
gets  Iry  being  filtered  through  deep  soils.  I  do  not  know  whether 
an}7  such  advantage  is  to  be  gained  about  Boston. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Do  you  mean  in  the  shape  of  artesian  wells  ? 

A.  No,  sir ;  but  excavations  in  places  where  a  proper  supply 
could  be  gained,  and  pumped  to  a  sufficient  elevation  to  supply 
the  city.  This  is  only,  perhaps,  speculative,  and  I  did  not  intend 
to  mention  it. 

Mr.  SHEPARD. — I  only  asked  about  it  because  you  said,  "If 
we  continue  our  present  supply,"  and  I  thought  perhaps  it  might 
have  occurred  to  you.  I  should  like  to  ask  if  you  know  of  any 
community  which  is  supplied  in  that  way? 

A.  I  cannot  give  3*011  the  exact  fact,  but  my  impression  is  that 
in  some  parts  of  Germany  this  same  plan  has  been  adopted.  I 
have  not  pursued  this  sufficiently  to  give  you  all  that  I  could  wish  in 
this  line,  not  expecting  to  be  called  upon  at  all,  and  it  not  being 
in  my  direct  line  of  duty  ;  but  I  think  you  will  be  able  to  get  at 
those  gentlemen  who  have  had  opportunities  for  travel  and  study 
which  have  put  them  in  possession  of  these  facts.  Of  course  you 
all  know  that  there  are  difficulties  which  are  almost  entirely  insur- 
mountable in  keeping  up  uniform  purity  in  the  waters  in  rivers  and 
basins  and  lakes.  There  are  many  difficulties  in  the  way.  If  we 
continue  the  present  method,  those  difficulties  should  be  reduced 
to  a  minimum,  at  whatever  cost.  The  community  should  be  made 
to  feel  that  every  means  that  is  possible  has  been  adopted  to  give 
us  a  uniform  and  pure  water  to  drink. 

Mr.  DESMOND  FITZGERALD.  —  If  it  be  allowable  I  should  like  to 
ask  the  doctor  one  question.  I  admire  the  spirit  in  which  the 
doctor  has  pursued  the  investigation,  and  I  only  wish  all  had  mani- 
fested the  same  feeling.  You  say  the  basin  drawn  down  neces- 
saril}'  exposes  flats  which  produce  a  deleterious  quality  of  water.  I 
want  to  ask  you  if  you  mean  by  that  a  pond  which  is  already 
formed  with  natural  borders  of  gravelly  soil  —  whether  the  water 
in  that  lake  is  made  deleterious  by  exposure,  or  whether  you  simply 
wish  to  confine  it  to  a  new  structure  ? 

Dr.  DURGIN.  —  If  you  have  a  natural  lake  for  the  supply  of 
water,  and  at  one  season  of  the  year  that  lake  is  several  feet  lower, 
with  sloping  borders,  and  vegetation  forms  there  at  times,  and 
then  is  filled  again,  I  understand  that  the  vegetation  which  springs 
up  at  a  low  depth  of  the  water,  or  on  exposure,  will  die  after  the 


78  CITY  DOCUMENT  JSTo.  129. 

water  rises  again  and  be  capable  of  exhaling  and  affecting  the 
water  of  the  lake. 

Q.  Is  that  founded  on  a  particular  theor}*,  or  facts,  or  observa- 
tion ? 

A.    That  is  only  my  belief  in  a  general  way. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  It  seems  to  me,  in  reply  to  Mr.  Fitzgerald,  that 
among  the  extracts  read  by  a  member  of  the  Water  Board  here, 
the  same  remark  was  made  in  relation  to  Lake  Cochituate,  which 
is  a  natural  pond  of  water ;  and  when  the  water  was  drawn  down 
five  feet  in  depth,  the  exposure  of  the  margin  was  supposed  to 
result  in  exactly  that  change  of  the  water. 

Mr.  FITZGERALD.  —  I  should  like  to  have  a  word  to  say  later 
about  that,  if  I  may  be  allowed ;  but  still  I  do  not  wish  to  inter- 
fere at  all. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Certainly. 

The  CHAIRMAN.  —  If  Dr.  Durgin  has  nothing  more  to  suggest, 
we  will  hear  what  Mr.  Fitzgerald  has  to  say. 

STATEMENT  OF  DESMOND  FITZGERALD.  —  Continued. 

Mr.  FITZGERALD.  —  I  do  not  wish  to  take  up  the  time  to  discuss 
any  theories,  if  it  is  too  late.  But  there  are  one  or  two  points 
I  should  like  to  speak  about,  if  allowed,  without  going  into  the 
subject  fully.  There  have  been  so  many  statements  thrown  out  in 
the  public  prints,  and  in  a  great  many  different  ways,  in  regard  to 
the  management  of  the  Water  Works,  that  I  have  taken  the  thing 
somewhat  at  heart  myself,  and  from  the  opportunities  I  have  had 
for  practical  observation  I  thought  there  were  some  things  I  should 
like  to  speak  about. 

And  in  regard  to  this  drawing  down  of  natural  lakes,  my  obser- 
vation has  been  such  that  it  does  not  exactly  coincide  with  what 
Dr.  Durgin  has  stated  here.  I  believe  myself  when  a  pond  or 
basin  is  newly  filled,  and  new  areas  are  covered  with  water,  and 
those  are  exposed,,  that  the  effect  upon  the  water  for,  perhaps, 
several  3*ears  to  come,  is,  perhaps,  deleterious.  But  after  the  lake 
or  pond  is  formed,  and  its  borders  are  formed,  the  same  as  Lake 
Cochituate  now  is  —  and  Lake  Cochituate,  3*011  must  remember,  was 
raised  twice,  both  times  by  Act  of  the  Legislature  ;  the  first  time 
the  natural  high-water  line  was  about  five  or  six  feet  above  the 
flume,  and  it  was  raised  to  eight  feet ;  and  then  to  ten,  making 
certainly  five  feet,  and  the  result  was — and  those  notes  of  Mr. 
Sawyer  are  exactly  what  I  should  look  for  as  a  result  —  that  the 
water  was  bad  for  several  years ;  but  now  the  water  in  the  lake 
certainly  is  never  better  than  when  it  is  low.  If  you  go  all  around 
Lake  Cochituate,  and  take  water  from  certain  depths,  you  will  find 
it  is  clear,  and  as  fine  water  as  }'ou  find  anywhere  ;  but  the  oppo- 
site is  sometimes  the  case  when  the  lake  is  full.  So  I  do  not  think 
it  follows  that  when  the  lake  is  drawn  down  the  effect  upon  the 
water  is  bad.  It  seems  to  me  the  effect  has  been  often  good. 
Even  in  Lake  Cochituate,  which  has  remarkably  fine,  sandy  bor- 
ders, there  are  quantities  of  plants  growing.  You  may  see  them 
stretching  from  the  high-water  line  to  six,  eight,  or  ten  feet  be- 


APPENDIX.  79 

low.  When  the  water  is  drawn  down  in  the  lake,  and  we  use  it 
as  storage-water,  those  plants  die  off.  I  believe  it  actually  re- 
sults in  good  to  the  water,  after  an  artificial  pond  has  become  like 
a  natural  one. 

Now,  gentlemen,  in  almost  all  these  discussions  which  have 
occurred,  the  great  question  which  has  agitated  the  minds  of  the 
Water  Board  and  all  its  officers — and  I  should  prefer  to  hear  the 
City  Engineer  speak  on  this  subject  rather  than  nryself —  has  been 
that  of  quantity  ;  how  to  keep  this  great  city,  which  is  growing  so 
fast,  supplied  with  an  adequate  supply  of  water.  You  will  real- 
ize this  when  I  say,  that  in  1877  our  consumption  was  only  about 
twenty-one  millions  of  gallons  a  day.  Since  that  time  we  have 
had  built  this  large  system  of  works  and  put  it  in  running  order, 
and  we  were  delayed  a  number  of  years  on  account  of  the  action 
of  the  City  Government,  the  Board  not  having  the  funds  to  proceed, 
and  at  the  last  moment  those  basins  were  filled,  and  the  water  had 
to  be  rushed  in  immediately  to  supply  the  city.  Almost  every 
year  since  that  time  we  have  had  such  periods  of  drought  that  the 
water  in  the  storage-basins  had  to  be  used  before  the  period  in 
which  it  should  have  been  stored  had  passed. 

Now,  my  own  opinion  is,  that  the  water  will  improve  rather  than 
deteriorate  in  quality.  The  only  thing  I  can  hope  for  is,  that  the 
City  Government  will  give  us  funds  enough  to  complete  the  whole 
system  of  basins  on  the  Sudbury. 

Here  I  may  say  that  when  the  Sudbury  scheme  was  broached, 
the  most  careful  examination  was  made  by  all  the  experts  who 
could  be  summoned  on  the  question.  Every  source  of  supply  was 
examined  within  fifty  miles  of  Boston.  Thirteen  different  schemes 
were  studied,  not  only  in  reference  to  quality  but  quantity  of 
water,  and  from  every  point  of  view.  I  believe  fully  that  we  have 
in  the  Sudburj'  river  the  best  source  of  water  supply  within  reach 
of  the  city  of  Boston. 

It  is  impracticable  to  furnish  water  in  the  way  Dr.  Durgin 
speaks  of,  .from  filtering-galleries.  In  Brookline  they  have  had 
difficulty  in  doing  it,  and  have  had  to  extend  their  galleries.  But  the 
amount  of  water  that  can  be  procured  from  filtering-galleries  under 
ground  is  very  limited  indeed. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN. — I  made  a  statement  here  at  the  last  meeting 
that  there  was  great  complaint  about  the  quality  of  water,  and 
that  there  were  large  quantities  of  afgce  in  the  water.  I  do  not 
know  whether  you  noticed  them,  but  you  know  there  were  com- 
plaints about  the  quality  of  the  water.  I  have  seen  the  water 
green  myself. 

Mr.  FITZGERALD.  —  Yes,  sir. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  I  only  wanted  Mr.  Fitzgerald  to  confirm  the 
statement  I  made. 

Mr.  FITZGERALD.  —  I  only  want  to  say,  in  regard  to  this  question 
of  water  supply,  that  people  are  apt  to  go  too  much  into  details 
and  overlook  the  great  questions  which  should  really  engross  atten- 
tion. I  have  been  fairly  astonished  at  some  of  the  statements 
published  by  a  gentleman  before  a  scientific  society.  I  may  be 
pardoned  for  referring  to  this,  because  some  of  the  figures  he  used 


80  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

were  given  to  him  by  onr  department,  and  he  has  so  misused  them 
as  to  dishonor  his  own  city.  They  can  be  prove$  to  be  utterly 
false ;  whether  so  wilfull}'  I  do  not  wish  to  say,  because  I  do  not 
wish  to  misjudge  a  man's  motives.  But  in  this  article,  published 
in  the  "Boston  Herald"  of  last  Sunday,  a  paper  read  before  the 
Medical  Society,  the  statements,  so  far  as  the  engineering  questions 
are  concerned,  and  as  concerns  the  water  supply,  are  grossly  inac- 
curate. If  I  only  had  the  time,  and  if  the  gentleman  were  here, 
I  would  be  glad  to  expose  them  full}',  because  we  have  the  proof  in 
our  own  hands. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  — Will  the  supplementary  supply  be  sufficient  for 
the  city  when  all  the  basins  are  completed? 

Mr.  FITZGERALD.  —  You  have  the  City  Engineer  here  and  I  should 
prefer  to  have  him  state.  But  when  the  scheme  was  adopted  it  was 
estimated  for  forty  million  gallons  a  day,  that  is,  when  3*011  de- 
veloped the  storage  capacity  itself.  Until  you  do  that  and  allow  a 
little  margin,  so  we  shall  not  be  pushed  to  run  water  into  the  city 
before  it  should  be  used,  we  shall  be  troubled  with  this  excess  of 
vegetable  matter  in  the  basins.  I  do  not  think  it  is  proved  that 
the  loam  is  the  immediate  cause  of  it.  In  Basin  No.  2  we  have  as 
much  loam  as  in  the  other  basins,  and  we  have  alwa}*s  had  good  water 
there.  It  is  an  extremely  difficult  question,  and  I  do  not  believe 
any  person  who  studies  the  question  several  months,  with  the 
immense  quantity  of  facts  on  record,  will  wonder  that  it  is  com- 
plicated. Yet  the  question  can  be  cleared  of  many  of  these  com- 
plications and  made  very  simple  by  keeping  the  main  facts  in  view. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Have  you  an}r  recommendation  personally 
as  to  the  possibility  of  improving  the  water? 

A.  No,  sir  ;  but  I  feel  confident  that  if  the  City  Government  were 
to  appropriate  sufficient  money  to  develop  the  whole  scheme  of  the 
Sudbury  river,  it  is  the  only  practical  way  of  improving  your  water, 
except  by  a  scheme  of  filtration,  which  will  be  at  a  vast  expense. 

Q.   That  is  to  say,  to  have  a  large  excess  of  water  supply? 

A.  Sufficient  to  supply  the  city  when  it  is  needed  ;  and  we  are 
very  much  crowded  now.  When  the  water  was  first  introduced 
into  Boston,  in  1848,  the  people  generally  supposed  that  they  had 
too  large  a  supply,  and  that  the  engineers  had  been  too  extrava- 
gant. Mr.  Bradlee  knows  all  this.  But  in  less  than  ten  years  the 
Water  Board  had  to  resort  to  advertisements  in  the  public  prints 
to  wrarn  people  to  be  more  careful  in  the  use  of  water.  In  1867 
Lake  Cochituate  was  too  small  to  supply  the  city  of  Boston,  and 
yet  they  had  to  work  along  until  1871  before  anything  was  done  to 
increase  the  supply  ;  and,  then,  the  fact  must  not  be  lost  sight  of 
that  those  basins  were  filled  in  1878. 

Mr.  SAWYER.  —  As  early  as  1857  the  Water  Board  were  calling 
the  attention  of  citizens  to  the  excessive  waste,  and  telling  them 
that  if  they  did  not  be  more  careful  they  would  come  to  want ;  and 
it  ran  all  the  way  through. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  I  should  like  to  ask  Mr.  Fitzgerald  the  question 
whether  he  thinks  the  causes  of  complaint  concerning  the  water 
would  be  remedied  if  we  took  away  the  loam  from  the  basins,  —  if 
that  is  something  which  ought  to  be  done  ? 


APPENDIX.  81 

A.  Well,  sir,  I  think  really  the  causes  of  complaint  last  year 
were  ascertained  by  Prof.  Rernsen.  I  think  every  fact  there  shows 
conclusively  that  the  trouble  then  was  confined  to  Farm  pond  and 
to  the  causes  which  he  described.  When  we  drew  down  the  water 
we  found  it  exactly  as  he  said  we  should.  The  bad  taste  was  con- 
fined to  that  basin  ;  but,  unfortunately,  we  were  obliged  to  run  all 
our  water  through  there  ;  so  all  our  water  was  polluted  at  thnt  time. 
But  I  believe  it  was  the  same  with  Lake  Cochituate,  and  it  was 
confined  to  that  period,  and  the  water  afterwards  changed  its  char- 
acter. It  is  something  which  is  liable  to  come  into  any  source  of 
water  supply. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Take  the  yellow  color  and  muddy  taste 
to-day,  —  do  you  not  suppose  it  is  attributable  to  the  loam  in  the 
basins? 

A.  No,  sir,  and  I  can  tell  you  why.  If  you  go  to  the  head  of 
Basins  Nos.  2  or  3,  and  take  specimens  of  water  there  and  com- 
pare them  with  the  Boston  water,  you  will  find  them  more  tinged. 
The  water  in  Basin  No.  2  is  undoubtedly  improved  in  the  passage 
through  the  basin,  so  far  as  I  can  judge  ;  I  am  not  speaking 
chemically.  But  the  water  at  the  foot  of  Basin  No.  2  is  clearer 
than  where  it  goes  into  the  basin. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Do  you  not  believe  that  is  the  cause,  and  the  re- 
moval of  it  would  remedy  the  evil  ? 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  He  spoke  of  the  color  particularly. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  — He  spoke  of  the  color  and  taste. 

A.  I  was  speaking  of  the  color  more  particularly.  In  regard  to 
the  taste,  do  %you  mean  the  taste  at  present? 

Q.  Yes  ;  if  the  taste  is  not  the  result  of  the  maceration  of  this 
vegetable  mould,  what  benefit  would  result  from  your  long  storage 
after  the  Sudbury  s}*stem  is  developed?  I  take  it  3*011  r  plan  is  to 
allow  the  water  to  stand  three  years,  and  allow  the  decomposition 
to  take  place  ? 

A.  Of  course  in  the  spring  you  would  naturally  wash  the  basins 
out.  The  basins  would  have  to  form  naturally,  of  course ;  they 
would  become  gravelly,  and  the  whole  water  would  be  improved 
undoubtedly. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Isn't  there  considerable  loam,  on  the  sides  of 
Basin  3,  which  is  washed  off? 

A.   Yes,  sir;  I  think  there  is. 

Q.  Would  it  not  be  an  improvement  to  Basin  3  to  have  some 
loam  removed  from  it? 

A.  I  cannot  say  it  would.  I  have  tried  to  look  into  it,  and  I  do 
not  think  any  gentleman  who  has  looked  into  it  carefully  could  not 
say  the  same.  Prof.  Remsen  came  to  the  same  conclusion.  I  do 
not  think  anybody  can  say  that  the  loam  is  the  cause  of  the  taste 
in  our  water  to-day. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  If  3-011  take  a  gallon  of  water  and  a  small  portion 
of  loam,  and  put  them  in  a  bottle,  you  get  an  infusion  of  that 
material,  don't  you? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Now,  it  may  not  be  deleterious  to  health,  but  it  is  going  to 
affect  its  color  and  taste  ? 


82  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

A.   Yes,  sir ;  but  why  hasn't  it  done  so  in  Basin  2  ? 

Q.    It  has  gone  through  the  process.  * 

A.    No,  sir  ;  there  was  only  about  one  season  difference. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  The  water  is  coming  through  Basin  2  to-day? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.    It  has  this  earthy  taste  ? 

A.  Yes,  sir ;  it  has  a  slightly  earthy  taste ;  but  I  think  it  is 
worse  in  the  city  than  at  the  basin. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Does  it  mix  with  any  other  water,  to  pollute  or 
deteriorate  it? 

A.  I  cannot  speak  of  it  accurately.  During  the  whole  season 
you  get  a  change  of  water.  During  the  whole  summer  we  had  to 
draw  from  Basin  3. 

Q.    Are  we  drinking  from  Basin  3  now  ? 

A.   No,  sir  ;  not  since  September. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  I  think  it  is  nothing  but  just  to  the  Water  Board 
that  any  erroneous  remarks  made  to  scientific  bodies  should  be 
corrected. 

Mr.  FITZGERALD.  —  I  have  on  my  desk  enough  to  fill  two  or 
three  volumes ;  and  there  are  so  many  mistakes  it  would  be  too 
much  to  attempt  to  correct  them.  But  the  principal  objections  I 
have  to  the  article  referred  to  previously  are  the  statements  about 
the  measurement  of  the  water,  which  are  perfectly  absurd.  He 
said  the  estimated  capacity  is  a  hundred  and  thirty  million  gallons. 
There  is  no  such  estimated  capacity.  You  will  find  the  facts  about 
that  printed  on  our  records.  We  have  what  we  call  our  available 
capacity,  which  is  always  reckoned  from  a  point  above  the  bottom 
of  the  aqueduct  nearly  to  high-water  mark,  because  when  we  get 
below  that  we  do  not  consider  the  water  at  the  bottom  of  the  pond 
of  available  capacity. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  It  is  a  question  of  head  also? 

Mr.  FITZGERALD.  —  It  is  a  question  of  head.  Then  another 
point  here  is  very  erroneous,  and  which  he  makes  a  great  deal  of. 
He  says  that  on  June  28,  1882, — just  see  how  accurate  he  is  in 
mentioning  the  date,  —  ''thirty  men  were  employed  to  scrape  the 
spongilla  from  the  walls  of  the  new  conduit  arid  in  removing  a  large 
quantity  of  sediment  extremely  offensive  in  odor."  Now,  gentle- 
men, 1  will  state  to  you  on  my  honor  that  we  never  have  had  a 
particle  of  spongilla  in  the  new  aqueduct.  I  ought  to  know  if 
anybody  does. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  It  was  in  the  Cochituate  aqueduct? 

A.  Yes,  sir.  He  reasons  from  this,  that  having  cleaned  it  in 
November,  what  an  enormous  deposit  there  must  have  been  since 
then. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  We  did  not  find  any  in  November. 

Mr.  FITZGERALD.  —  No,  I  never  found  an}7  there.  I  could  go 
through  the  whole  article,  and  show  that  it  is  full  of  the  same  state- 
ments. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Lhave  a  letter  here  from  Dr.  Barnes,  in  which  he 
says : — 

If  you  will  turn  to  page  40  of  the  last  annual  report  of  the  Water  Board, 
you  will  see  that  during  November  191,400,000  gallons  of  water  was  run 


APPENDIX.  83 

from  Farm  pond  into  Lake  Cochituate,  and  consequently  Fitzgerald  was  not 
stating  facts  when  he  said  that  this  amount  of  water  was  not  run  from  the  5th 
of  December,  for  it  appears  from  the  month  of  December  that  187,600,000 
gallons  went  into  Lake  Cochituate.  The  average  for  November  would  very 
much  more  than  fill  the  comparatively  small  basin  at  Dug  meadow,  and  I 
could  not  have  been  mistaken  in  the  date,  November  28,  1881,  when  I  saw 
the  water  passing  over  the  top  of  the  horse-shoe  dam  into  the  main  lake. 

Mr.  FITZGERALD.  —  I  do  not  wonder  at  that  letter,  and  I  must 
say  it  is  due  to  a  clerical  error  in  making  up  that  table.  If  you 
consult  our  original  tables,  which  the  clerk  consulted,  you  will  find 
only  two  tables,  one  running  from  Chestnut-Hill  reservoir  and  Lake 
Cochituate.  A  note  was  made  beside  it:  "None  of  this  water 
was  run  into  Lake  Cochituate  ;  it  was  all  run  into  the  waste-weirs." 
Of  course  the  clerk  did  not  notice  that  note  on  the  margin,  and  he 
put  it  down  upon  that  table. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  —  Do  injurious  effects  follow  from  the  exposure 
of  large  shallow  surfaces  to  the  sun? 

A.  Well,  as  I  said  before,  I  believe  that  in  a  new  basin  they 
do.  Now  I  think  one  reason  why  Lake  Cochituate  tasted  badly 
immediately  after  raising  the  lake  was  because  when  you  flow  new 
land  like  that  you  have  to  produce  an  equilibrium  in  nature.  The 
moment  you  disturb  nature  you  disturb  her  equilibrium.  If  that 
is  reckoned  I  do  not  think  it  is  injurious  ;  but,  to  a  certain  time,  I 
do  think  it  is. 

Dr.  BLAKE. — That  is,  admitting  the  question  of  shallow  flow- 
age.  When  you  raised  Lake  Cochituate  five  feet  above  its  normal 
level,  and  when  you  drew  the  others  down  to  this  five  feet,  }'ou  had 
this  depth  exposed? 

A.   Undoubtedly.     That  was  traced  to  those  meadows. 
Q.    And  you  had  the  same  condition  existing  in  the  lake  that  you 
have  in  the  basins  to-day  ? 

A.  No,  sir;  in  the  lake  we  now  have  more  dams.  You  cannot 
build  dams  all  around  every  basin.  In  Lake  Cochituate  there  were 
larger  areas  which  were  shallow. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  — You  haven't  any  question  but  the  exposure 
of  shallow  water  cultivates  algce? 

A.  Yes,  sir.  My  remarks  were  directed  particular!}'  to  a  lake 
or  storage-reservoir  which  3*011  draw  up  and  down.  I  do  not  think 
it  has  the  slightest  effect  by  drawing  it  clown  upon  a  natural  pond. 
I  hope  this  Commission  will  not  lose  sight  of  that,  and  that  it  is  a 
fact  that  a  bad  taste  is  very  liable  to  come  to  every  source  of  sup- 
ply in  the  most  unexplainable  manner.  We  have  had  to  shut  off 
the  water  from  Lake  Cochituate  several  times  on  account  of  the 
taste,  and  to  use  the  other  water.  That  is  a  matter  of  record. 

STATEMENT  OF  HENRY  M.  WIGHTMAN.  —  Continued. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  I  wish  to  say  that  I  am  on  record  in  a 
communication  to  the  City  Council,  in  answer  to  an  order  as  to 
the  desirability  of  removing  the  loam  from  the  basins.  I  think 
that  where  such  removal  is  practicable  it  is  desirable  to  a  certain 
extent,  —  that  is  to  say,  to  the  area  covered  by  the  ordinary 


84  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

fluctuations  of  the  surface,  and  when  I  state  what  I  am  doing 
at  Basin  4  it  will  express  what  I  think  should  bet done;  it  is  to 
stop  the  loam  off  from  high- water  mark  to  about  twelve  feet 
below,  wherever  it  is  practicable.  Below  that  point  I  do  not 
consider  it  is  absolutely  necessary,  although  desirable.  I  think  it  is 
desirable  to  take  off  all  of  the  vegetable  matter  unless  you  can  wait 
for  the  process  of  decay  to  go  on  and  the  water  to  become  pure 
after  that  decay.  That  is,  if  you  can  wait  two  or  three  years 
before  using  the  basin,  I  do  not  believe  it  is  necessary  to  take  the 
vegetable  matter  off.  But  if  you  cannot  wait  two  or  three  years,  I 
think  it  is  a  necessity  to  take  off  that  vegetable  matter,  if  you 
desire  water  of  unobjectionable  qualit}T.  I  agree  with  Mr.  Fitz- 
gerald, or  whoever  made  the  statement,  that  I  do  not  think  it  has 
ever  been  proved  that  the  loam  itself  has  been  the  cause  of  very 
bad  water.  Neither  do  I  think  that  if  the  water  has  had  a  chance 
to  lay  upon  beds  of  loam  for  any  length  of  time,  and  then  become 
pure,  that  by  oxidation  of  the  vegetable  impurities  the  water  is 
injured.  After  a  basin  has  assumed  the  character  of  a  natural 
pond  I  do  not  believe  it  makes  any  difference. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH. — How  much  do  you  think  it  is  advisable  to 
take  out  of  the  present  basins? 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  I  do  not  think  out  of  the  deeper  portions  of 
the  basins  there  will  be  any  advantage  in  removing  the  loam.  That 
is,  I  mean  any  advantage  gained  in  quality  of  water  would  not 
compensate  for  the  expense  of  taking  out  the  loam. 

Q.  Suppose  we  take  it  out  of  the  largest  basins,  2  and  3,  as 
you  suggest,  about  what  would  it  cost,  and  what  would  be  the 
quantity  ? 

A.  I  do  not  think  there  would  be  a  very  large  quantity,  and  I 
do  not  think  there  would  be  any  veiT  great  expense.  The  only  thing 
is,  probably  by  another  }"ear  it  will  be  all  washed  into  the  bottom  of 
the  basin,  and  there  would  not  be  any  necessity  for  removing  it; 
but  I  say  that  when  the  basins  are  formed  they  have  got  to  assume 
gradually  the  condition  of  natural  ponds,  and  that  is  about  as  good 
as  3*ou  can  get  them. 

I  do  not  believe  it  is  practicable  for  a  large  city  to  get  a  supply 
in  the  way  mentioned  by  Dr.  Durgin.  I  believe  we  have  got  to 
rely  more  in  the  future  than  in  the  past  upon  storage.  I  believe 
if  an  amount  of  money,  as  I  have  indicated,  is  spent  in  removing 
loam,  etc.,  from  the  basins,  and  let  them  assume  the  condition  of 
natural  basins,  and  the  water  purify  itself  from  the  decay  of  these 
vegetable  matters,  then  I  think  }'ou  will  get  as  good  water  as  it  is 
practicable  to  supply  in  such  large  quantities  as  we  require. 

Mr.  SHEPARD. — Taking  the  expected  growth  of  the  cit}r  and 
the  amount  of  water  you  now  use,  if  you  complete  the  Sudbury 
supply-basins  would  it  be  possible  to  allow  them  to  stand  until  the 
basins  became  natural  ponds? 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  Well,  it  would  be  possible  for  the  city  of 
Boston  to  be  supplied  from  those  basins  without  building  another 
one  for  the  next  twelve  }'ears  if  }*ou  could  reduce  the  consumption 
to  sixty  gallons  per  head  per  day  instead  of  having  it  ninety-five, 
as  it  is  now. 


APPENDIX.  85 

Q.  Supposing  you  do  not  apply  any  remedy  in  that  direction, 
and  the  consumption  is  the  same,  and  you  complete  the  Sudbury- 
river  supply,  will  there  be  supply  enough? 

A.  No,  sir ;  if  you  commenced  to  build  the  basins  to-day,  and 
continued  the  present  rate  of  consumption,  you  could  not  build  the 
basins  fast  enough  to  supply  the  city  of  Boston  with  water.  Only 
last  year  we  were  six  hundred  million  gallons  short  of  the  supply 
we  needed.  Before  we  get  this  last  basin  done  we  are  up  to  the 
capacity  of  it,  — I  mean  in  a  dry  year,  —  we  were  up  to  the  capacity 
of  the  supply  last  year ;  but  we  got  six  hundred  million  gallons 
from  Whitehall  pond,  which  1hey  kindly  allowed  us  to  have. 

Q.   Are  you  under  obligations  to  keep  up  the  height  there? 

A.  No,  sir ;  but  the  parties  who  own  the  pond  had  a  certain 
amount  of  water  stored  there,  and  the  pond  was  full.  At  the  time 
the  city  was  at  its  shortest  supply  the  parties  manufacturing  upon 
the  river  went  to  them  and  made  a  trade  with  them  to  let  the 
water  down,  and,  of  course,  while  coming  down  the  river  it  had  to 
be  stopped  by  our  dams,  and  we  got  the  supply. 

Q.   Is  Whitehall  pond  one  of  the  sources? 

A.    It  is  practically  one  of  the  sources. 

Q.   Was  that  dam  constructed  for  manufacturing  purposes? 

A.  Originally  it  was ;  but  it  was  rebuilt  by  the  city.  There 
was  an  old  dam  there,  and  the  city  rebuilt  it,  to  make  this  storage- 
basin. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH. — Will  }'ou  have  some  estimates  made  as  to 
the  quantity  of  loam  necessary  to  take  out  between  high  and  low 
water  mark? 

A.  For  Basins  1  and  2  there  are  estimates  now  ;  but  for  Basin  3 
there  are  none.  I  have  plans  showing  the  depth  of  loam  and  the 
areas  for  Basins  Nos.  1  and  2,  but  for  Basin  No.  3  we  have  none. 
A  portion  of  Basin  No.  3  was  an  old  swamp,  twenty  to  thirty  feet 
in  depth,  I  suppose. 

Q.    I  do  not  mean  in  the  swampy  part. 

A.  I  was  only  going  on  to  speak  of  the  accumulation  of  loam. 
I  suppose  there  are  twenty  to  thhiy  feet  of  loam  and  muck  in  the 
swamp.  It  is  exactly  the  same  as  the  Lawrence  basin  was.  It 
would  not  pa}'1  to  take  out  such  an  accumulation.  It  is  just  the 
same  in  Farm  pond.  There  are  forty  feet  of  mud  soundings  in 
Farm  pond.  There  are  plenty  of  places  in  Lake  Cochituate  where 
it  would  be  absurd  to  talk  of  taking  out  such  an  accumulation  as 
exists. 

Mr.  SAWYER.  —  There  is  a  shallow  place  near  the  dam  on 
Basin  3. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  Yes,  sir  ;  that  is  gravelty. 

Mr.  FITZGERALD.  —  Would  it  not  be  a  good  idea  to  say  a  word 
about  Farm  pond?  There  has  been  a  wrong  impression  about 
that  pond  being  filled  up  with  mud. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  I  think  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  state  that. 
I  made  a  statement  at  the  last  meeting  of  the  Commission  that  it 
was  susceptible  of  proof  that  people  around  there  for  fifty  years 
had  known  of  algaz  being  there. 

Adjourned  to  Thursday,  November  9th,  at  4  P.M. 


86  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 


FIFTH    HEARING. 

NOVEMBER  9,  1882. 

The  Commission  met  at  4  P.M.  Present,  Messrs.  Caldwell, 
Greenough,  Blake,  Shepard. 

STATEMENT  OF   DR.    H.  P.  WALCOTT,  Health  Officer  of  the  State 
Board  of  Health. 

Dr.  BLAKE. — Doctor,  the  Commission  desire  to  hear  your 
opinion  as  to  the  occasion  of  the  present  unpleasantness  of  the 
Boston  water  supply,  whether  it  is  deleterious  to  health,  and  any 
suggestions  you  may  have  for  remedying  it. 

Dr.  WALCOTT.  —  That,  of  course,  includes  several  topics  upon 
which  I  am  not  an  authority,  and  have  no  right  to  advise  the  city  of 
Boston.  I  ought  to  say  frankly  in  advance,  perhaps,  that  I  do 
not  think  the  present  condition  of  things  could  of  necessity  have 
been  anticipated  ;  that  I  do  not  think  any  of  the  methods  sug- 
gested, or  which  I  n^self  might  suggest,  would  at  once  improve 
the  condition  of  the  water  supply.  But  the  one  thing  which  strikes 
me,  not  only  in  connection  with  this,  but  with  the  general  subject 
of  water  supply  in  the  Commonwealth,  is  the  fact  that  we  know 
very  little  about  it.  The  conditions  under  which  we  collect  water 
are  essentially  different  from  those  that  prevail  in  any  other 
country.  We  have  a  system  of  large  reservoirs,  practically  large 
enough  to  store  water  through  two,  three,  or  four  months  of 
drought.  The  water  supplies  of  England  are  of  a  very  different 
character,  and  those  of  the  continent  are  also  very  different.  They 
have  behind  them  a  much  more  constant  supply  than  we  have.  I 
do  not  know  that  the  problem  of  ponded  waters  has  been  met  as 
we  have  it  here.  The  experience  of  every  town  in  Massachusetts, 
from  the  small  suppty  of  Plymouth  up  to  the  large  water  supply  of 
Boston,  has  shown  that  ponding  waters  in  reservoirs,  as  ordinarily 
adopted,  leads  to  the  development  of  abnormal  vegetable  growth 
in  the  water  that  no  method  suggested  offers  complete  relief  from. 
It  is  a  subject  that  has  not  been  thoroughly  studied  ;  and  my  own 
criticism  upon  the  city  of  Boston  in  the  matter,  so  far  as  the  past 
goes,  would  be,  that  after  having,  for  a  number  of  years,  carried 
on  such  an  investigation,  it  has  very  little  to  show  as  to  the  history 
of  its  waters  for  the  last  two  years. 

Prof.  Farlow  commenced  an  investigation  for  the  State  Board  of 
Health  in  the  matter  of  vegetable  growths,  and  carried  it  further 
than  any  other  investigation  of  the  kind  has  been  carried  in  this 
country  before,  and  he  reached  the  opinion  that  high  temperature 
had  a  very  serious  influence  in  the  development  of  vegetable  life. 
Some  investigations  at  Fresh  Pond  also  show  the  same  thing,  — 
that  while  the  shallow  basins  about  the  margin  of  the  pond  may  be 
full  of  clathrocystis,  the  deeper,  and,  therefore,  cooler,  portions 
are  free  from  it. 

I  saw,  this  last  summer,  Mr.  William  H.  Linrlle}*,  of  Frankfort, 
who,  with  his  father,  and  alone,  has  constructed  many  of  the  large 
water  supplies  on  the  continent,  and  he  told  me  that  he  and  his 


APPENDIX.  87 

father  had  always  advocated  covered  and  deep  reservoirs ;  that  the 
water-supply  reservoirs  of  large  cities  were  generally  so  con- 
structed. They  felt  it  necessary  to  withdraw  their  reservoirs  from 
the  action  of  light  even  ;  and  at  the  same  time  the  question  of 
depth  is  regarded  as  being  of  almost  equal  importance  as  prevent- 
ing the  overheating  of  the  water.  I  think  it  is  too  early,  with  re- 
gard to  the  Boston  water  supply,  to  give  any  opinion  upon  the 
subject  that  is  worth  having.  I  think  there  are  several  things  we 
might  criticise ;  several  things  in  regard  to  the  actual  condition 
of  the  basins  that  might  be  improved.  But  I  do  not  think  any 
man  can  say  that  the  mere  deepening  of  the  basin  will  answer  the 
purpose. 

Q.  From  3'our  knowledge  of  our  sources,  and  our  ponds  and 
reservoirs,  would  any  decided  improvement  follow  the  excavating, 
and  cleaning  and  removal,  or  conducting  organic  matter  from  those 
basins? 

A.  It  would  certainly  reduce  the  amount  of  those  substances 
represented  in  analyses  by  albuminoid  ammonia,  but  that  it 
would  prevent  the  development  of  many  forms  of  low  vegetable 
life  I  do  not  think  can  be  said. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  You  said  }rou  found  nowhere  else  the  pond- 
ing of  waters  for  a  large  supply? 

A.  In  the  sense  in  which  we  do  it ;  that  is,  a  supply  that  prac- 
tically is  not  added  to  for  five  or  six  months. 

Q.  Do  I  understand  that  all  the  water  supplies  you  know  of  are 
taken  from  running  rivers  by  pumps? 

A.  No  ;  not  at  all.  I  think  I  can  illustrate  by  the  case  of  Berlin, 
which  takes  its  supply  of  water  from  the  river  Spree.  They  get  a 
veiy  much  larger  addition  to  their  daily  supply  than  we  can  get, 
and  it  comes  very  much  nearer  the  condition  of  running  water  than 
ours  does.  The  water  in  the  reservoir  is  much  more  frequently 
renewed  than  in  the  Boston  reservoirs. 

Q.  I  understand  you  to  say  that  they  take  it  from  the  Spree, 
and  it  is  pumped  from  the  Spree  into  reservoirs,  and  that  they  are 
able  to  rely  upon  a  running  river,  the  same  as  if  we  took  it  from 
the  Merrimack  and  stored  it? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.  But  they  do  not  rely  upon  the  accumulation  of  water  which 
is  held  for  some  months  before  being  used  ? 

A.  No.  I  do  not  remember  an  instance  ;  at  least  I  have  not 
seen  one. 

Q.  Did  you  give  any  attention  while  you  were  over  there  to  the 
question  of  filtration? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.   Did  you  see  what  is  known  as  the  Bischoff  system  ? 

A.  Yes,  sir.  I  was  so  much  interested  in  it  that  I  brought 
home  a  Bischoff  filter.  I  saw  the  London  agents  of  the  system.  It 
comes  nearer  to  a  perfect  system  of  filtration  than  anything  I 
know  of. 

Q.    Will  you  describe  it  to  this  Commission  ? 

A.  Prof.  Bischoff  discovered  that  water  passed  through  filters 
of  spongy  iron  was  thereby  freed  from  bacterial  germs,  not  by  a 


88  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

process  of  filtration  simply,  but  by  an  actual  destruction  of  these 
organisms.  Those  experiments  have  also  been  repeated  here  by 
Prof.  Smythe,  of  Newport,  who  finds  filters  of  spongy-iron,  when 
properly  used,  sufficient  for  the  removal  of  the  germs,  which  are 
already  proved  to  be  the  agents  of  processes  of  decay,  and  in  many 
cases  of  the  most  fatal  contagious  and  infectious  diseases. 

Q.  I  suppose  you  are  familiar  with  the  quantit}"  of  surface 
necessary  for  filtration  in  that  way? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Do  }rou  recommend  it  to  our  consideration,  or  do  you  agree 
that  it  is  outside  of  possibility  ? 

A.  I  think  it  would  cost  the  city  of  Boston  more  than  it  is 
necessary  to  spend  for  a  pure  water  supply.  The  expense  of  the 
Bischoff  filter  would  be  veiy  large  for  so  great  a  quantity  of  water. 
If  Bischoff  filters  were  found  to  be  necessary,  I  should  recommend 
going  to  Lake  Winnipiseogee. 

Q.  In  the  city  of  Berlin  I  understood  they  are  using  about 
fifteen  gallons  of  water  to  each  person  of  population? 

A.  The  present  method  of  filtration  there  is,  I  believe,  through 
sand.  I  do  not  know  that  the  Bischoff  filter  is  used  in  the  water 
supply  of  any  town. 

Q.    I  think  they  are  using  it  at  Antwerp. 

A.    I  know  nothing  about  the  water  supply  of  Antwerp. 

Q.  The  reason  I  asked  }TOU  is,  that  if  we  could  store  our  ponded 
water  and  then  filter  it  as  we  want  it,  and  keep  it  in  small  reser- 
voirs, which  we  could  cover  and  make  deep,  we  could  then  have 
absolutely  pure  water  without  algce  in  it.  It  would  be  a  mere 
question  of  cost,  and  whether  it  was  worth  while  to  do  it.  If  we 
could  reduce  consumption  to  the  proper  limit,  it  might  be  worth 
considering.  Mr.  Davis  figured  on  the  cost  of  filtration  for  the 
Mystic  supply,  and  if  I  remember  aright  it  would  cost  some  two 
or  three  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  ten  millions  of  gallons  a  day. 
If  by  the  expenditure  of  a  million  dollars  we  could  put  in  a  system 
of  filtration  to  purify  our  water  supply,  I  do  not  think  the  citizens 
would  hesitate  a  moment. 

A.   I  do  not  know. 

Q.  Going  to  Lake  Winnipiseogee  is  a  question  of  fifty  millions 
of  dollars. 

A.   And  it  is  a  water  supply  forever. 

Q.  And  full  of  algce.  Lake  Winnipiseogee  is  no  freer  from 
algce,  than  any  other  water  supply.  It  was  full  of  them  last 
summer. 

A.  Yes.  We  know  that  some  portions  of  Lake  Winnipiseogee 
contained  algce  last  summer  ;  but  nobody  knows  what  it  has  con- 
tained during  the  last  five  jrears.  We  want  the  results  of  a  con- 
tinuous investigation. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Suppose  we  have  a  biological  examination  every 
da}'  for  a  year,  and  it  showed  the  result  of  a  lower  temperature 
than  we  get  in  our  basins,  are  you  sure  that  the  present  changes 
of  the  water  could  be  obviated,  or  do  you  think  the  conditions 
would  continue  to  exist  under  the  conditions  described  by  increasing 
the  depth  ? 


APPENDIX.  89 

A.    I  think  that  increasing  the  depth  would  be  a  protection. 

Q.    Would  it  be  an  absolute  protection  ? 

A.    Nobody  knows. 

Q.    But  have  they  not  constructed  reservoirs  of  100  feet  depth? 

A.  I  do  not  know  of  any  of  that  depth.  The  great  reservoir  to 
be  constructed  on  the  Mersey,  for  Liverpool,  has  a  masonry  dam 
180  feet  high. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Did  you  give  any  attention,  when  you  were 
over  there,  to  the  subject  of  consumption  of  water  in  the  various 
cities,  and  how  much  they  were  using? 

A.  Yes,  sir.  They  showed  me,  at  Liverpool,  their  system,  which 
is  an  admirable  one  ;  but,  with  a  certain  amount  of  local  pride,  I 
assume  to  sa}*  we  have  as  good  a  one  in  Cambridge. 

Q.  It  ill  becomes  me  to  speak  of  what  you  are  doing  in  Cam- 
bridge, but  we  know. 

A.  I  know  we  have  reduced  our  consumption  to  45  gallons  a 
day. 

Q.  But  you  have  no  doubt,  as  Secretary  of  the  State  Board  of 
Health,  that  the  consumption  of  water  could  be  reduced  without 
disadvantage  to  health  ? 

A.  Yes,  sir.  I  know  it  is  claimed  that  the  waste  of  water  in 
sewers  is  an  advantage ;  but  I  believe  it  is  all  nonsense.  It  is 
better  that  the  city  should  use  it  in  a  regular  manner.  I  may  say 
that  in  a  recent  visit  to  Indianapolis  I  found  the  city  supplied  with 
500  gallons  a  day  to  their  people  per  head.  They  have  the  Holly 
system. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  — Probably  it  is  wasted. 

A.    I  should  think  likely. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  — We  have  some  people  at  the  South  End  who 
are  using  400  gallons  a  head  ? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  I  want  to  ask  you  about  this  periodical  exami- 
nation of  the  water ;  if  you  think  a  carefully  conducted  series  of 
experiments  for  a  period  of  six  months  would  lead  to  any  practical 
result  upon  the  subject  of  purifying  our  water  supply? 

A.  I  do  not  know  that  I  can  answer  that  in  any  other  way  than 
by  saying  we  are  in  the  dark  in  this  matter ;  I  do  not  know  that  I 
can  illustrate  m}'  opinion  in  any  other  way  than  by  the  histoiy  of 
the  water  supplies  I  am  familiar  with.  An  examination  shows  the 
existence  of  certain  forms  of  animal  and  vegetable  life.  In  two  or 
three  weeks  some  one  form  becomes  a  predominant  one.  Then,  in 
the  course  of  another  month,  that  organism  will  disappear  entirely, 
and  no  trace  of  it  be  left.  Now,  this  disappearance  may  or  may 
not  be  accompanied  by  bad  taste,  yet  it  is  evident  that  you  are 
dealing  with  water  full  of  products  of  decomposition.  Now,  in  the 
case  of  the  recent  trouble  with  the  Boston  suppty,  you  get  bad 
taste  in  the  water,  and  the  water  supply  is  then  examined  ;  but  you 
are  beginning  too  late.  You  are  dealing  with  the  products  of  some- 
thing which  has  already  passed  out  of  existence.  It  is  a  question 
which  perplexes  every  scientific  man  when  he  comes  to  investigate 
any  particular  offence,  because  he  knows  nothing  about  the  con- 
dition of  things  which  preceded  it. 


90  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

Q.  Do  you  think  a  prolonged  investigation  of  that  sort  will  throw 
light  upon  the  cause  of  this  development,  or  do  yoit  think  we  know 
the  causes? 

A.    No,  I  do  not  think  we  know  them  all. 

Q.  And  that  investigation  would  point  out  the  remedy  and  pre- 
vent a  repetition  ? 

A.  If  the  scientific  investigation  does  not  show  the  remedy,  then 
the  remedy  would  be  mere  guess-work. 

Q.  But  from  our  present  condition  you  are  not  prepared  to  sug- 
gest an}r  remedy,  under  the  conditions  as  they  exist  to-day? 

A.  It  is  my  belief  that  the  condition  of  the  water  would  have 
been  very  much  better  in  a  deep  reservoir  with  a  clean  bottom  than 
in  a  shallow  reservoir  with  a  mud  bottom.  But,  whether  the  re- 
moval of  the  muck  and  making  deep  basins  would  destroy  these 
troublesome  forms  of  vegetable  life,  I  cannot  say. 

Q.  But  if  those  projects  could  be  carried  out  to  a  sufficient  ex- 
tent, and  a  cooler  temperature  of  water  attained,  the  water  would 
be  improved  ? 

A.  I  know  of  one  artificial  basin  in  the  State,  the  history  of 
which,  in  this  connection,  is  very  instructive,  and  that  is  the  basin 
at  South  Gardner,  north-west  of  Wachusett  mountain.  Many  }-ears 
ago  a  man  flooded  eighty  acres  for  the  purpose  of  forming  a  reser- 
voir for  mill-power  ;  the  ground  flooded  was  a  swamp.  It  has  now 
a  sandy  shore.  I  remarked  this  to  a  man  who  is  familiar  with  the 
whole  history  of  the  basin,  and  was  told  by  him  that  for  nearly 
twenty  3rears  the  pond  u  worked  "  every  year,  and  was  offensive. 
But  during  that  time  the  gravel  and  sandy  margins  had  been  gradu- 
ally increasing ;  the  vegetable  matter  had  been  undergoing  decom- 
position for  twenty  years,  and  the  whole  thing  had  been  precipi- 
tated in  the  centre  of  the  pond.  Now  there  is  no  offence  in  sum- 
mer ;  but  this  result  appears  to  have  only  come  after  a  number  of 
years  of  a  slow  process  of  destruction. 

Q.  So,  judging  from  that  one  case,  we  can  look  forward  and 
probably  infer  that  a  similar  change  will  take  place  in  our  basins? 

A.  There  is  no  question  in  my  own  mind  but  that  the  basins 
will  in  time  clear  themselves.  Whether  the  city  of  Boston  can  af- 
ford to  wait  that  time  is  another  question. 

Q.  In  your  opinion  would  the  cit}T  be  justified  in  cleaning  out 
those  basins  and  removing  all  the  muck  and  soil  and  getting  down 
to  the  hard,  sandy  bottom?  Would  the  improvement  in  the  water 
justify  the  expense,  which  would  be  necessarily  large? 

A.  That  depends  entirely  upon  the  Engineer's  figures,  and  I  do 
not  like  to  give  an  opinion. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  You  are  entirely  familiar  with  the  action  of 
the  city  of  Cambridge  in  regard  to  the  Shawsheen  river? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Do  you  expect  that  they  will  remove  all  the  muck  from  the 
great  basin  in  case  they  get  the  river? 

A.    Do  you  ask  my  opinion  as  a  private  citizen  of  Cambridge? 

Q.    I  ask  your  opinion  amicus  curice. 

A.  If  I  have  any  influence  with  the  city  of  Cambridge,  I  should 
protest  against  their  constructing  a  reservoir  of  less  than  fifteen 
feet  depth  in  any  portion  where  the  muck  remains. 


APPENDIX.  91 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  If  3-011  had  any  influence  with  the  city  of  Boston 
you  would  enter  a  similar  protest  in  the  preparation  of  a  new 
basin  ? 

A.   I  should  in  the  preparation  of  a  new  basin,  undoubtedly. 

Q.  In  any  portion  of  the  basin  3-011  would  not  let  the  muck  re- 
main where  the  water  was  less  than  fifteen  feet  deep? 

A.    I  should  say  remove  it  entirely. 

Q.   It  is  worth  the  cost? 

A.    I  think  it  is. 

Q.  The  Engineer  seems  to  be  of  the  opinion  that  it  will  require 
only  about  three  3rears  for  that  water  to  assume  its  natural  condi- 
tion, provided  the  rnuck  is  removed  from  the  borders. 

A.  That  is  a  matter  of  opinion.  I  should  attach  much  more 
weight  to  the  experiment  tried  for  us  at  South  Gardner  than  I 
should  to  the  opinion  of  an37  engineer. 

Dr.  BLAKE. — And  that  experience  is,  that  for  twenty  years  there 
are  this  sediment  and  foul  odors  from  the  pond  ? 

A.  Yes,  sir.  Of  course  this  statement  was  made  to  me  this 
year  in  the  investigation  of  another  matter.  I  have  no  reason  to 
doubt  it.  The  city  of  Springfield  has  gained  no  substantial  relief 
in  its  water  supply.  They  flooded  meadows,  and  it  is  not  yet  a 
satisfactory  supply. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Are  you  familiar  with  our  water  supply  from 
lake  Cochituate  ? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.  You  have  seen  the  various  impurities  put  into  it  from  Pegan 
brook,  etc. 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.    Are  you  of  the  opinipn  that  that  pollutes  our  supply  ? 

A.    Very  seriously. 

Q.    Where  is  it  taken,  into  the  conduit? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.   But  it  cannot  be  shown  by  chemical  anatysis? 

A.  No,  unfortunately  ;  that  is  the  objection  I  have  to  a  chemical 
analysis.  That  is  the  reason  I  believe  in  a  much  more  complete 
stud3^  of  waters.  I  believe  we  have  got  to  the  end  of  purely  chemi- 
cal anal3'ses. 

Q.  You  are  familiar  with  the  laws  in  relation  to  enforcing  the 
purity  of  water  supplies? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.    And  3'ou  probably  know  that  the3r  do  not  work  satisfactorily? 

A.  I  know  they  have  not  given  the  satisfaction  which  the  public 
expected  of  them. 

Q.  The  law  is  not  as  strong,  in  3*our  judgment,  as  it  ought  to 
be,  is  it? 

A.  The  law,  as  it  stands  upon  the  statute  books,  seems  to  be 
sufficiently  strong.  v 

Q.  But  you  know  how  the  thing  works ;  that  when  the  city  of 
Boston  —  in  the  first  place,  we  are  called  upon  to  show  that  the 
water  is  polluted  when  it  enters  the  conduit,  which  you  say  chemi- 
cal analysis  will  not  show,  although  you  know  it  is  polluted,  and 


92  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

in  case  of  a  decision  of  the  State  Board  of  Health  there  is  a  right 
to  appeal  to  a  jury  from  the  next  town.  That  is  not  a  satisfactory 
condition,  in  which  it  is  desired  to  be,  to  purify  the  water  supply? 

A.  No,  the  working  of  the  law  is  not  satisfactoiy  ;  but  I  do  not 
say  that  the  law  is  not  satisfactory. 

Q.  But  j'ou  have  occasion  to  see,  in  your  position,  that  the  law 
cannot  be  properly  enforced  ? 

A.    I  know  it  has  not  been  properly  enforced. 

Q.  I  am  very  glad  to  hear  you  say  that  chemical  analysis  is  not 
satisfactory. 

A.  It  is  not  to  me.  I  do  not  know  any  more  striking  instance 
of  it  than  that  shown  by  some  of  the  experiments  of  Pasteur,  who 
has  done  the  greatest  work  upon  these  low  forms  of  life  ;  that  is, 
that  he  Could  destroy  a  sterilized  solution  of  animal  matter,  in  which 
there  is  absolutely  no  germ  or  living  thing,  by  adding  a  fluid,  which, 
by  no  chemical  test,  could  be  shown  to  contain  anything  but  pure 
water.  Now,  it  is  not  necessary  that  anything  which  makes 
trouble  should  be  one  of  these  germs ;  but  what  is  true  of  one  of 
a  class  may  be  true  of  the  rest. 

Q.  You  do  not  think  the  pollution  which  comes  from  Pegan 
brook  can  be  got  out  by  oxidation,  or  anything  in  that  line? 

A.  I  think  the  chances  are  against  it.  I  think  the  outbreak  of 
typhoid  fever  among  people  along  the  course  of  the  brook,  and 
draining  into  it,  would  be  a  serious  menace  to  the  cit^y  of  Boston. 

Q.  Are  you  familiar  with  the  laws  which  govern  the  English 
Board  in  this  matter? 

A.   Yes  ;  I  think  I  am. 

Q.  Are  they  not  all  tending  to  the  result  that  every  man  must 
purify  his  own  sewage  —  every  town  and  every  manufactory? 

A.  Theoretically,  yes,  but  practically,  with  regard  to  certain 
streams,  even  English  law  has  allowed  vested  rights  to  become  so 
powerful  there  that  they  cannot  remove  them.  For  instance,  the 
city  of  Bradford  purifies  its  sewage  at  a  vast  expense,  and  empties 
it  into  a  stream  apparently  as  foul  as  its  sewage.  The  city  does 
that,  however,  under  an  injunction  obtained  by  the  owners  of  some 
estates  below  Bradford  on  the  river.  But  very  little  of  that  action 
has  been  taken  under  the  Pollution  Act. 

Q.    What  are  they  going  to  do  in  the  city  of  Bradford  ? 

A.  Bradford  keeps  right  on  turning  pure  water  into  the  foul 
stream. 

Q.    Jt  is  so  in  Manchester? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.  That  is  to  sajT,  every  city  can  be  compelled  to  purify  its 
sewage  before  it  empties  the  water  into  the  stream  ? 

A.  Yes,  sir.  That  is  so  in  Coventry,  which  empties  its  sewage 
into  the  river  Sherburne.  I  mean  that  they  are  not  yet  in  a  posi- 
tion to  enforce  the  Rivers  Pollution  Act. 

Q.    On  account  of  the  vested  rights  which  prevent  it? 

A.  My  impression  is,  that  the  present  laws  are  not  regarded  as 
sufficient,  and  that  most  of  the  action  alreacty  taken  has  been  by 
the  process  of  the  common  law. 


APPENDIX.  93 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  You  consider  sewage  in  any  quantity  as  dangerous 
to  a  water  supply  for  a  large  town? 

A.    It  is  enough  to  condemn  the  water  supply. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  What  would  you  recommend  us  to  do  at 
Pegan  brook  ? 

A.    I  should  go  again  to  the  courts  for  protection. 

Q.  You  know  very  well  that  the  city  Water  Board  has  not  been 
able  to  get  anything  from  the  town  of  Natick,  although  they  went 
before  your  Board? 

A.  There  is  something  better.  I  should  go  for  a  metropolitan 
drainage  system. 

Q.  The  city  of  Boston  did  go  for  it,  if  you  will  allow  me  to 
correct  you. 

A.    It  did  not  appear  so  to  those  who  were  interested  in  it. 

Q.  The  city  of  Boston  was  represented  by  Mr.  Caldweli,  Mr. 
Shepard,  and  myself,  and  favored  it. 

A.  But  Mr.  Bailey  turned  round  at  the  last  moment  and 
opposed  it. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  That  matter  was  referred  to  the  Committee 
on  Water,  and  was  by  them  referred  to  Alderman  Caldweli  and 
myself,  and  we  went  to  the  Committee  on  Health  at  the  State 
House,  and  the  plan  was  violently  opposed  by  the  smaller  towns. 

Dr.  WALCOTT.  —  Yes,  sir. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  I  never  heard  that  Mr.  Bailey  retracted  his 
approval.  If  he  did  I  never  heard  of  it. 

A.  We  certainly  did  have  his  assistance,  in  the  first  place  ;  but 
he  made  objection  finally  to  the  cost  being  raised  by  a  tax  upon 
general  valuation  instead  of  population. 

Q.    In  raising  the  §30,000? 

A.  Yes.  I  do  not  know  that  that  would  have  made  any  differ- 
ence. But  I  do  not  see  any  relief  for  the  water  supply  for  this 
whole  territory  except  this  metropolitan  drainage  scheme. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  And  that  would  remedy  only  that  one  evil? 

A.  Yes,  sir.  It  would  remedy  the  evil  from  Natick.  I  think 
there  is  something  to  be  said  for  Natick. 

Q.  Would  it  relieve  the  trouble  with  Sherburne  and  the  Women's 
prison  ? 

A.  Yes,  sir,  I  think  it  would  The  city  of  Boston  has  an  evil 
before  it  in  the  Women's  prison  which  is  only  a  trifle  compared 
with  Natick. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  You  do  not  think  the  emptying  of  it  into  the 
ground  relieves  it? 

A .  I  do  not.  I  do  not  think  the  filtration  through  the  earth  is 
going  to  remove  the  thing  that  produces  typhoid  fever. 

Q.    Suppose  we  should  apply  the  Bischoff  system  to  Pegan  brook  ? 

A.   If  applied  to  Pegan  brook  it  might  be  made  a  success. 

Q.   It  would  pay  for  the  amount  of  money  required  ? 

A.  I  do  not  know  whether  it  would  pay  ;  I  think  it  would  be  a 
relief. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  It  would  be  a  relief  in  a  measure.  But  unless 
the  same  system  was  applied  to  Cochituate  village,  and  South 


94  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

Framingham,  and  the  Women's  prison,  the  relief  you  would  get 
would  be  only  partial. 

A.    You  could  apply  it  to  all. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  There  is  very  little  that  comes  from  South 
Framingham. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Do  I  understand  that  there  is  no  system  of  sewer- 
age there? 

Dr.  WALCOTT.  —  Any  growth  about  South  Framingham  means 
the  pollution  of  Farm  pond.  I  do  not  know  how  you  are  going  to 
prevent  Framingham  from  using  that  small  brook. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Half  the  time  there  is  nothing  to  speak  of 
coming  out  of  that  brook. 

A.  No,  but  I  am  assuming  that  there  will  be,  from  the  increase 
of  population. 

Q.  That  can  be  obviated  by  putting  a  conduit  around  Farm 
pond? 

A.  Yes,  sir.  But  these  are  all  makeshifts.  They  must  have  a 
complete  system  of  drainage. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  I  think  that  is  so,  and  if  the  city  of  Boston 
can  assure  this  drainage  by  the  expenditure  of  four  or  five  millions 
of  dollars,  I  think  it  better  do  it. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  The  expenditure  of  four  or  five  millions  of  dollars 
would  ensure  the  drainage  of  this  source  of  pollution.  In  your 
opinion,  if  the  city  of  Boston  would  expend  that  amount  of  money 
in  that  wa}T,  would  it  have  a  marked  effect  upon  the  character  of 
the  water? 

Dr.  WALCOTT.  —  In  my  opinion  it  would. 

Q.   And  nothing  less  than  that  would  secure  marked  relief? 

A.    Well,  I  do  not  know  of  anything. 

Q.  I  do  not  see  anything  myself.  If  3*011  have  a  high  tempera- 
ture in  consequence  of  shallow  flowage  and  shallow  basins,  we 
know,  or  at  least  we  infer,  that  the  high  temperature  of  water  would 
give  rise  to  the  development  of  these  water  plants,  which  by  their 
decay  affect  the  water,  if  they  do  not  render  it  deleterious  to  health  ; 
and  I  do  not  see  any  other  way  of  solving  the  problem  except  to 
remove  those  conditions  which  are  favorable  to  such  growths.  I 
suppose  it  would  not  be  feasible  for  our  city  to  cover  the  storage- 
basins,  or  roof  them  over  ? 

A.   It  does  not  seem  to  me  at  all  possible. 

Q.  Could  we  gain  any  material  supply  by  pumping  from  artesian 
wells,  or  by  any  other  system  of  drawing  water  from  beneath  the 
surface  of  the  earth  ? 

A.  The  trials  that  have  been  made  in  this  State,  with  that  end 
in  view,  have  not  been  successful. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  They  have  good  water  at  Watertown? 

A.  There  is  a  good  deal  of  question  about  it.  The  last  analyses 
showed  that  the  water  had  deteriorated  ;  but  the  present  condition 
I  do  not  know. 

Q.  I  know  they  bored  about  eight  hundred  feet  at  Lowell,  and 
got  no  water. 

A.  I  do  not  know  enough  about  the  geological  formations  about 
Boston  to  speak  with  authority. 


APPENDIX.  95 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Do,  far  as  you  know,  all  cities  and  towns  depend- 
ing, as  we  do,  upon  storage-basins,  have  the  same  trouble  that 
Boston  is  now  laboring  under,  from  the  want  of  preparation  of  the 
basins? 

A.  Yes,  sir,  I  do  not  know  one  that  has  escaped.  Holyoke, 
which  has  a  supply  from  up  above  the  city,  remote  from  dangers  of 
sewage  contamination,  has  trouble  even  in  the  winter  months. 

Q.  So  that  Holliston,  Milford,  and  Arlington,  and  all  the  other 
places,  have  all  practically  prepared  their  basins  in  the  same  way 
that  Boston  has,  and  all  been  troubled  in  the  same  way  that  Boston 
has  been  ? 

A.    As  I  say,  I  do  not  know  of  any  basins  that  have  escaped. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  You  are  familiar  with  the  Sudbury  river? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.    You  consider  it  a  good  source  of  supply? 

A.  I  never  felt  that  it  was  as  good  as  the  Charles  river  ;  but  per- 
haps it  is,  on  the  whole,  the  best  available. 

Q.  Dr.  Dtirgin  testified  here  last  week  that  he  thought  the  small 
amount  of  coloring  matter  held  in  that  water  in  suspension  had  a 
deleterious  effect  upon  the  public  health,  although  he  had  no  special 
case  which  he  could  point  to.  Have  you  an  opinion  upon  that? 

A.  I  do  not  think  there  is  an}*  evidence  —  at  least  we  have  found 
none  —  that  a  slight  development  of  clathrocystis  in  the  water  has 
injured  people  who  used  it.  I  think  there  is  evidence,  however, 
that  it  is  an  indirect  injuiy,  from  the  fact  that  a  great  many  people 
who  ought  to  use  water  are  deterred  from  doing  so. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  I  think  that  Dr.  Durgin  put  his  statement  in  an- 
swer to  a  question  of  mine,  that  people  with  susceptible  stomachs 
and  delicate  sensibilities  might  experience  nausea  and  troubles  of 
that  sort,  and  irritation  of  the  stomach  and  bowels,  from  drinking 
the  water. 

Dr.  WALCOTT.  —  I  do  not  think  an}'  of  us  want  a  water  supply 
that  doesn't  taste  well.  I  do  not  think  it  needs  any  argument  to 
prove  that. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  The  water  is  very  good  in  Boston  to-day? 

A.    I  do  not  drink  it. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  It  has  materially  changed  within  two  weeks. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  — It  is  much  diluted. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  — But  all  the  evils  of  sewage  may  be  there. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  — It  has  not  the  brown  color  it  had  two  weeks 
ago. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  —  But  there  is  a  good  deal  of  difference.  The 
water  I  draw  at  my  house  is  different  from  that  which  I  draw  at 
my  office. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  You  may  be  on  the  high  service. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  I  have  experienced  no  difficulty  the  past  summer. 
I  must  say  I  have  no  reason  to  complain  of  the  water  if  it  is  largely 
diluted  with  ice  and  the  temperature  is  lower.  I  think  that  abso- 
lutely pure  water  is  as  flat  a  tasting  fluid  as  anything  you  want  to 
drink.  Well,  Dr.  Walcott,  to  sum  up,  you  would  recommend  a 
careful,  protracted,  scientific  investigation  of  our  water,  and  the 


96  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

conditions  it  is  exposed  to,  with  the  hope  that  the  information  de- 
rived therefrom  would  enable  us  to  devise  some  measure  for  reme- 
dying the  evil  ? 

Dr.  WALCOTT.  — Yes,  sir ;  I  think  it  is  fair  to  assume  that. 

Q.  And  that  measures  taken  to  ensure  a  lower  temperature  of 
the  water  would  also  be  beneficial,  in  the  deepening  and  cleaning 
of  the  basins? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.  You  are  not  prepared  to  say  that,  allowing  the  water  to  stand 
in  the  basins,  prepared  as  ours  have  been,  for  three  }*ears,  would 
be  sufficiently  long  to  allow  the  water  to  purify  itself? 

A.   I  do  not  believe  it  will  be  purified  in  three  more  years. 

Q.    Not  in  six  }'ears  ? 

A.   No,  sir. 

Q.  Then  you  see  no  reason  why  the  citizens  of  Boston,  unless 
active  measures  are  taken,  cannot  look  forward  to  more  troubles? 

A.  I  do  not  see  why  the  condition  of  things  for  the  last  year 
should  not  be  repeated. 

Q.  You  know  no  method  by  which  these  water-plants  can  be 
arrested  or  destroyed,  under  present  conditions? 

A.    No,  sir. 

Q.   No  chemical  or  other  process  ? 

A.   That  is,  none  applicable  to  such  large  masses  of  water. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  By  whom  would*  you  recommend  that  such 
an  examination  as  you  suggest  should  be  made  ;  by  a  biologist  or 
chemist? 

A.  By  both.  The  State  Board  of  Health,  Lunacy,  and  Charity, 
at  my  suggestion,  made  an  appropriation  in  the  beginning  of  the 
37ear  for  such  an  investigation  into  the  conditions  of  various  water 
supplies  of  the  State.  A  person,  competent  to  do  the  work,  could 
not  be  secured,  and  the  examination  has  not  been  made.  I  cannot 
name  a  biologist  for  this  work.  I  have  also  had  some  conversation 
upon  this  subject  with  the  Water  Commissioners  of  Boston. 

Q.  You  did  not  make  the  proposition  to  the  Boston  Water 
Board? 

A.  No.  I  had  talked  it  over  with  them,  and  I  understood  that 
they  received  it  favorably.  But  it  never  was  completed,  because  I 
never  found  the  man  to  do  the  work. 

Q.   You  have  no  one  whom  you  would  propose  now  ? 

A.   No,  I  have  not. 

Q.   Is  there  not  one  man,  qualified  to  do  that  work,  in  the  city  ? 

A.    No  one  man. 

Q.    Several  men  could  do  it  together  ? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  The  work  could  be  done  in  Boston  ? 

A.  Yes,  sir.  Of  course  the  appropriation  I  control  is  a  limited 
one. 

Q.   Then  it  is  simply  a  question  of  money  ? 

A.    It  is  a  question  of  money. 

Q.    Have  you  any  idea  of  the  expense  ? 

A.    I  am  not  now  prepared  to  name  a  sum. 


APPENDIX.  97 

Mr.  GREENOUGH. — The  water  should  be  chemically  analyzed, 
and  also  examined  by  a  biologist? 

A.  Yes,  sir  ;  and,  by  keeping  the  two  distinct,  it  is  possible  that 
in  a  year  or  two  we  might  bring  the  two  together  in  some  useful 
way. 

Q.    It  would  cost  very  much  ? 

A.  For  a  great  many  years  the  work  that  Prof.  Nichols  did  do 
was  almost  the  only  scientific  work  that  had  been  done  in  the  study 
of  waters,  and  it  has  been  almost  constantly  referred  to  through- 
out the  country. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Have  you  anj'thing  to  add  to  what  3*011  have  said 
in  the  way  of  general  advice  or  suggestions  to  this  Commission  ? 

A.  No  ;  I  think  I  have  already  taken  it  upon  myself  to  give  you 
a  great  deal  of  advice. 

The  clerk  read  the  following  :  — 

To  the  Chairman  of  the  Commission  appointed  to  investigate  the  Character 

of  the  Water  Supply  of  the  City  of  Boston  :  — 

DEAR  SIR,  —  At  a  meeting  of  that  division  of  the  Suffolk  District  Branch 
of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society  which  is  devoted  to  the  subject  of  Clin- 
ical Medicine,  Pathology,  and  Hygiene,  held  in  this  city  last  evening,  the 
accompanying  votes  were  unanimously  carried,  and  the  Secretary  was  directed 
to  present  the  same  to  the  chairman  of  the  Commission  as  the  expression  of 
the  views  of  the  Society. 

Very  respectfully, 

ALBERT   N.  BLODGETT,  M.D., 

Secretary. 

ACTION  OF   THE    CLINICAL   SECTION   OF    THE   SUFFOLK 

DISTRICT   BRANCH  OF    THE   MASSACHUSETTS 

MEDICAL   SOCIETY,   NOVEMBER   8,  1882. 

Voted,  That  the  members  of  the  Clinical  Section  of  the  Suffolk  District 
Branch  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society  convey,  through  their  Secretary, 
to  the  Water  Commission,  lately  appointed  by  the  Mayor  of  Boston,  their 
appreciation  of  the  extreme  importance  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  of  the 
questions  which  the  Commission  was  appointed  to  investigate. 

Voted,  That,  as  practising  physicians  of  the  city  of  Boston,  we  express  to 
the  Commission  the  earnest  hope  that  it  will  not  adjourn  without  a  thorough 
and  careful  consideration  of  the  whole  question  of  the  city's  water  supply, 
or  without  making  some  suggestions  for  future  action  in  the  premises  which 
may  offer  a  reasonable  hope  of  providing  pure  water,  and  of  protecting  the 
citizens  against  a  recurrence  of  the  great  annoyances  of  the  past. 

The  communications  were  received  and  placed  upon  file. 
Adjourned  to  Thursday,  November  15,  at  4  P.M. 


98  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 


SIXTH  HEARING. 

NOVEMBER  15,  1882. 

The  Commission  met  at  4  P.M.  All  present.  The  clerk  read 
the  following :  — 

80  NEWBURY  ST.,  Nov.  15. 

DEAR  SIR  :  —  In  case  I  am  prevented  from  coming  to  the  hearing  this 
afternoon,  I  would  say  that  in  my  opinion,  — 

1.  The  Sudbury-river  water  contains  nearly  always  more  organic  matter 
than  is  proper  in  drinking  water. 

2.  It  is  impossible  to  supply  rfirst-rate  drinking-water  to  the  city  at  the 
rate  of  100  gallons  a  day  to  each  individual,  so  that  means  are  required  to 
check  the  enormous  waste. 

3.  As  the  Sudbury-river  basins  are  constructed,  they  supply  to  the  city 
more  or  less  diluted  bog-water,  —  an  evilto  be  corrected  by  consulting  the 
engineers. 

Very  truly  yours, 

CHAS.  F.  FOLSOM. 
W.  H.  LEE,  Esq. 

MASSACHUSETTS  INSTITUTE  OF  TECHNOLOGY, 

BOSTON,  14th  Nov.,  1882. 

Mr.  W.  H.  Lee,  Clerk  of  Committees  :  — 

DEAR  SIR,  —  Your  invitation  to  attend  a  hearing  of  the  Water  Commission 
on  Wednesday  has  been  duly  received  ;  but  the  present  condition  of  my  health 
prevents  my  acceptance  of  the  same. 

Yours  truly, 

WM.    RIPLEY  NICHOLS. 

To  the  Commission  appointed  to  investigate  the  Water  Supply  of  Boston  :  — 
At  a  meeting  of  the  Boston  Society  for  Medical  Observation,  Nov.  6,  1882, 
the  following  resolution  was  passed  by  a  unanimous  vote  :  — 

The  members  of  the  Boston  Society  for  Medical  Observation,  believing 
that  the  water  supplied  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  of  Boston  falls  far  short  of 
what  a  potable  water  should  be,  and  that  its  condition  ought  to  excite  appre- 
hension, as  it  has  already  excited  disgusf,  desire  to  express  their  gratification 
at  the  appointment  of  a  Commission  to  investigate  the  subject,  and  to  express 
to  the  gentlemen  of  the  Commission  the  deep  interest  with  which  their  deliber- 
ations are  watched  by  physicians.  They  feel  confident  that  in  their  consider- 
ation of  the  subject,  the  Commission  will  recognize  the  gravity  of  the  evil  to 
be  remedied,  and  hope  that,  with  the  assistance  of  such  experts  as  they  may 
consult,  some  remedy  may  be  found  for  the  unfortunate  condition  of  affairs 
which  has  led  to  their  appointment. 

It  was  unanimously  voted  that  the  secretary  be  directed  to  transmit  this 
resolution  to  the  Commission. 

C.    M.   JONES,   M.D., 
Secretary  Boston  Society  for  Medical  Observation. 

The  several  communications  were  ordered  printed  in  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  Commission. 

None  of  the  gentlemen  who  had  been  invited  being  able  to  at- 
tend to-day,  the  Commission,  after  the  transaction  of  some  routine 
business,  adjourned  to  Frida}r,  Nov.  17th,  at  4  P.M. 


APPENDIX.  99 


SEVENTH  HEARING. 

NOVEMBER  17,  1882. 
The  Commission  met  at  4  P.M.     All  present. 

STATEMENT  OF  DR.  CHARLES  F.  FOLSOM,  FORMERLY  SECRETARY  OF 
THE  STATE  BOARD  OF  HEALTH. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Doctor,  you  were  for  many  years  secretary  of  the 
State  Board  of  Health,  and  in  the  line  of  your  duty  became  familiar 
with  the  water  supplies  for  cities  and  towns.  I  want  3rour  opinion 
as  to  the  best  source,  provided  the  city  or  town  has  its  choice ; 
whether  lake  or  river? 

Dr.  FOLSOM.  —  The  best  source  unquestionably  is  a  lake  with  a 
gravelly  bottom,  supplied  by  springs. 

Q.  Are  there  opportunities  for  obtaining  water  from  that  source 
in  Massachusetts? 

A.   Very  few  in  this  part  of  the  State. 

Q.  At  the  time  Boston  took  the  Sudbury-river  supply,  was  it, 
in  your  opinion,  the  best  available  source? 

A.  I  was  not  entirely  sure  whether  it  was  better  than  the  Shaw- 
sheen.  I  did  not  go  into  that  matter  carefully.  My  impression  is 
the  Shawsheen  might  be  a  little  better. 

Q.    Would  the  Sliawsheen  }*ield  as  much  water? 

A.    My  impression  is  it  would ;  but  I  am  not  sure  about  that. 

Q.    Why  was  your  preference  for  the  Shawsheen? 

A.  I  thought  it  would  be  more  likely  to  be  kept  entirely  free 
from  the  wash  from  the  small  villages  and  towns  ;  but  the  difference 
is  not  so  very  great  in  that  respect. 

Q.  Then,  under  our  present  condition,  storage-basins  are  a  ne- 
cessity, using  the  quantity  of  waterier  capita  we  do? 

A.  Yes,  sir,  unless  you  are  going  to  Lake  VVinnipiseogee,  which 
is,  perhaps,  out  of  the  question. 

Q.  In  the  preparation  of  such  basins,  what  course  would  you 
recommend  as  the  best  in  order  to  yield  us  comparatively  pure 
water  ? 

A.  The  storage-basins  I  have  examined  very  carefully  are  those 
of  England.  Their  climate  is  rather  cooler  than  ours,  and  it  seems 
to  me  we  ought  to  use  at  least  as  much  care  as  they  do  in  the 
preparation  of  their  basins.  The  sides  are  usually  pretty  nearly 
perpendicular,  a  good  many  of  them  of  masonry.  If  I  remember, 
there  is  no  place  in  any  of  them  where  the  water  is  less  than  eight 
to  ten  feet  deep.  These  are  the  storage-basins  chiefly  in  London 
and  on  the  East  River  Thames.  That  is  the  rule  which  generally 
obtains  in  England. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Are  the  sides  all  masonry? 

A.    Most  of  them. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Are  they  careful,  in  the  preparation  of  their 
basins,  to  remove  the  loam  and  vegetable  matter? 

A.  Yes,  sir ;  and  the  bottoms,  in  every  case,  if  I  remember  ac- 
curately, were  covered  with  gravel. 


100  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

Q.    Have  they  complaints  of  the  quality  of  water? 

A.   Yes,  sir.  <- 

Q.    Of  what  nature? 

A.  The  Lee  river  and  the  Thames  both  contain  enormous 
amounts  of  vegetable  organisms  ;  I  would  say  rather  more  than  in 
aii}r  of  our  rivers.  The  amount  is  so  excessive  that  they  have 
used  very  great  care  in  getting  rid  of  it.  The  water  supply  of 
London  is  the  subject  of  inquiry  at  the  present  time.  They  have  the 
same  difficult}',"!  think,  that  we  have,  only  to  a  less  extent,  because 
their  basins  have  been  more  carefully  constructed.  The  greatest 
difficulty  in  London,  however,  it  should  be  said,  is  now  rather  as 
to  quantity  than  quality.  They  have  to  supply  something  like  a 
hundred  and  twenty  millions  of  gallons  a  day,  which  is,  of  course, 
rather  a  difficult  thing  to  do. 

Q.  Do  they  complain  of  the  taste,  and  color,  and  smell  of  the 
water  when  heated  'i 

A.  They  very  rarely  have  the  disagreeable  taste  and  color  we 
have,  —  almost  never.  The  chief  objection  to  it  is  the  objection 
that  obtains  to  all  river-water,  that  it  is  flat  and  tasteless.  Now, 
as  I  say,  the  complaint  is  in  regard  to  quantity. 

Q.  In  the  storage-basins  do  they  have  water-plants  grow?  Do 
they  have  algce  to  the  same  extent  that  we  have  in  our  shallow 
basins? 

A.  To  the  same  extent,  but  not  of  the  same  kind.  There  is  a 
plant  which  grows  in  the  Thames  and  East  river,  one  of  the  fresh- 
water alyce,  which  does  not  apparently  give  any  taste  to  the  water, 
and  does  not  color  it.  It  creates  more  mechanical  trouble  in  the 
pipes,  as  to  its  removal,  than  ours  does  ;  but  it  does  not  give  off  the 
same  offensive  odor  in  decaying  that  ours  does,  and  it  does  not 
impart  to  the  water  a  disagreeable  taste. 

Q.    In  what  respect  does  it  render  the  water  disagreeable  ? 

A.  It  is  chiefly  a  mechanical  difficulty.  Unless  removed  it  fills 
up  the  pipes.  It  is  in  enormous  quantities.  I  have  seen  a  col- 
lection in  less  than  a  month,  when  I  was  in  London,  and  went  over 
the  works  with  Mr.  Graves,  who  has  been  the  chief  engineer  of 
their  works  for  many  years,  —  deposits  which  must  have  been  more 
than  a  foot  thick,  — green,  — less  than  a  month's  collection.  The 
workmen  about  there  carted  it  off  and  used  it  for  manure  in  their 
gardens. 

Q.  When  that  plant  deca3rs  and  dissolves,  to  a  certain  extent, 
does  it  not  give  a  bad  taste  to  the  water? 

A.   It  would,  if  it  were  not  removed  by  filtration. 

Q.   By  what  process  of  filtration? 

A.  By  passing  downward  through  a  layer  of  sand  and  then 
below  that  gravel,  and  below  that  are  stones,  which  are  gradually 
increased  until  they  are  as  big  as  your  fist. 

Q.  Are  the  laws  regulating  the  pollution  of  potable  waters  more 
stringently  enforced  in  England  than  in  this  country? 

A.  The  laws  are  very  stringent,  but  they  are  not  in  all  cases  en- 
forced. 

Q.  They  have  the  same  difficulty  with  vested  rights  that  we 
have? 


APPENDIX.  101 

A.  The}r  have  great  difficulty  in  enforcing  the  laws,  very  much 
more  than  we  have,  because  the  process  is  not  so  summary.  It 
takes  such  a  long  time  to  get  a  matter  before  the  courts  and 
through  the  courts.  A  great  many  cases  have  been  in  the  Chan- 
cery courts  for  many  years. 

Q.  Should  you  say  they  are  freer  from  sources  of  pollution  of 
drinking-water  in  England  than  in  this  country  —  in  the  State  of 
Massachusetts  ? 

A.  At  the  present  time  there  is  more  filth  from  various  sources 
that  goes  into  the  Thames  river  than  in  our  water  supplies.  It  is 
a  highh*  cultivated  area,  and,  of  course,  more  thickly  settled. 

Q.  Is  the  Thames  water  used  for  drinking,  except  a  short  dis- 
tance below  its  source  ? 

A.  Yes,  sir ;  a  very  large  part  of  the  London  supply  is  from 
the  Thames. 

Q.    Taken  how  many  miles  from  London? 

A.  I  cannot  be  quite  sure.  Some  of  the  supplies  come  from, 
at  least,  below  the  town  of  Windsor,  which  is  not  far  up,  —  per- 
haps fifteen  to  twenty  miles. 

Q.  From  your  knowledge  of  engineers,  and  the  care  in  the  prep- 
aration of  storage-basins,  do  they  pay  much  more  attention  to  those 
matters  in  and  around  London,  and  throughout  England,  than  we 
do  in  this  country,  or  not? 

A.   Yes  ;  I  think  they  unquestionably  do. 

Q.  If  you  were  consulted  in  the  preparation  of  storage-basins, 
for  a  water  suppty  for  the  city  of  Boston,  what  measures  would 
you  recommend  to  render  our  water  supply  as  pure  as  possible  ? 

A.   Which,  the  present  supply? 

Q.   Yes,  sir. 

A.  I  think  some  measures  have  got  to  be  taken  to  reduce  the 
enormous  waste.  That  is  without  question,  because  the  city  is 
growing,  and  it  is  absolutely  impossible  for  it  to  continue  supply- 
ing the  quantity  of  water  which  it  is  supplying  now,  for,  of  course, 
a  great  quantity  of  that  is  wasted.  Beyond  that,  it  seems  to  me 
the  qualit}r  of  the  water  from  the  basins  should  be  improved,  and  1 
see  no  way  of  doing  that  but  by  deepening  them  and  making  their 
bottoms  of  gravel  and  their  sides  perpendicular,  or  nearly  so,  and 
having  the  storage-basins  at  such  a  depth  that  there  would  be  no 
part  of  the  water  less  than  eight  feet  deep.  I  do  not  think  it 
should  be  less  than  that.  In  our  climate  we  should  have  probably 
some  little  difficulty  with  that  depth. 

Q.    You  would  get  rid  entirely  of  the  shallow  flowages  ? 

A.  Yes,  sir ;  I  think  it  is  quite  necessary  from  two  points  of 
view.  In  the  first  place  you  cannot  help  the  shallow  portions  of  the 
reservoirs  from  being  virtually  swamps  with  a  great  deal  of  vege- 
tation growing,  and  a  great  deal  of  heating  matter  in  them.  When 
the  water  is  shallow  the  temperature  would  be  very  high  in  sum- 
mer and  that,  of  course,  encourages  the  growth  of  the  forms  of 
vegetation  which  we  want  to  get  rid  of  if  possible. 

Q.  You  are  quite  sure  that  the  temperature  has  a  great  deal  to 
do  with  the  growth  of  algce  ? 

A.    There  is  no  doubt  it  has  a  great  deal  to  do  with  the  growth 


102  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

of  those  forms  which  are  the  most  trouble  to  us,  — the  forms  that 
we  have  had  so  much  to  do  with  in  Horn  pond,  in  «Woburn,  and  in 
the  Sudbury-river  basins. 

Q.  In  large  natural  ponds  they  have  had  a  comparatively  small 
amount  of  these  plants? 

A.  In  the  natural  ponds,  supplied  chiefly  from  springs,  there 
has  been  none  of  this  vegetable  growth. 

Q.    Do  you  recall  many  cases  ? 

A.    Lake  Wenham. 

Q.    That  has  an  average  depth  of  how  many  feet  ? 

A.  I  cannot  tell  }*ou.  It  is  supplied  chiefly  from  springs.  It 
has  a  very  gravelly  bottom  ;  there  is  veiy  little  flow  from  the 
surface.  I  do  not  remember  the  temperature,  though  I  noted  it 
one  summer  ;  it  was  very  much  cooler  than  in  others.  There  are 
two  little  ponds  at  Concord,  one  called  Sandy  pond,  and  the  other 
Walden,  and  I  think  a  number  in  Plymouth  county  fed  by  springs. 
I  am  familiar  with  one  or  two  in  Berkshire  county  that  supply  the 
city  of  Pittsfield. 

Q.  Do  you  think  sewage  in  any  amount  is  liable  to  contaminate 
the  water  so  that  it  will  become  deleterious  to  people  using  the 
water,  even  though  chemical  tests  do  not  reveal  the  sewage? 

A.   Yes,  sir  ;  I  think  it  is  dangerous. 

Q.  So  that  if  you  were  in  a  position  to  entirely  shut  it  out,  and 
prevent  its  entrance  into  the  water,  you  would  do  so? 

A.    I  certainly  should. 

Q.  Do  3'ou  know  of  any  town  or  city  supplied  by  shallow  basins 
that  has  been  free  from  complaint  of  its  water  supply? 

A.  No,  they  have  all  had  it:  Maiden,  Springfield,  Melrose,  and 
all  the  other  towns.  It  is  inevitable. 

Q.  Do  you  think  that  in  artificial  basins  with  a  shallow  flowage 
the  water  would  purify  itself  in  any  particular  time  ? 

A.  I  doubt  if  it  will.  Of  course  the  bottoms  will  improve  ;  but 
in  those  parts  where  the  flowage  is  comparatively  shallow,  I  do  not 
think  we  may  look  for  any  improvement ;  if  anything  it  will  get 
worse. 

Q.  So  that  any  fixed  time,  three  or  six  years,  with  basins  of 
shallow  flowage,  will  not  render  the  water  pure  through  the  process 
of  purification  by  exposure? 

A.  No,  I  do  not  think  it  would.  The  deeper  parts  of  the  pond 
will  be  very  much  improved  indeed  ;  the  peaty  matter  will  be 
washed  away,  but  we  have  got  to  drink  it.  In  the  shallow  parts 
I  should  not  expect  to  find  any  improvement  at  all.  I  think  that 
by  examining  the  storage-basins  now,  one  would  find  that  that  pro- 
cess is  taking  place  to  a  great  extent  in  the  deep  water,  and  is  not 
taking  place  in  the  shallow  water.  In  a  great  many  places  where 
the  water  is  deep  the  turf  and  peat  are  all  gone. 

Q.  I  suppose  that  water  holding  a  large  amount  of  vegetable 
matter  in  solution  may  become  dangerous  to  health? 

A.  I  think  it  is  generally  accepted,  to  a  certain  extent,  as  in- 
jurious to  health,  and  liable  to  create  danger. 

Q.  Familiar  as  you  are  with  our  source  of  supply,  and  our  sys- 
tem of  storing  water,  3*our  recommendation  would  be  to  cleanse 
and  deepen  the  basins  and  prevent  the  entrance  of  sewage  ? 


APPENDIX.  103 

A.    I  should  say  that. 

Q.  Is  there  any  other  suggestion  you  could  make  to  the  Com- 
mission, in  a  general  wa}'? 

A.  Only  with  regard  to  checking  the  enormous  waste.  A  city 
of  any  size  cannot  supply  a  hundred  gallons  a  day  to  each  indi- 
vidual of  water  which  is  thoroughly  fit  to  drink. 

Q.    And  Boston  cannot  with  its  present  source  of  supply? 

A.  No,  not  without  an  enormous  expense.  Of  course  the  popu- 
lation increases,  and  keeps  using  more  and  more  water. 

Q.  Do  you  see  any  possible  benefit  to  result  to  the  citizens  of 
Boston  from  the  adoption  of  any  method  of  filtering  the  water 
before  admitting  it  to  the  city? 

A.  I  doubt  very  much  whether  it  would  be  of  sufficient  value  to 
pay  for  the  undertaking.  Of  course  it  is  very  expensive  in  our 
climate.  That  would  be  a  matter  of  experiment,  or  rather  you 
might  say  of  experience.  It  is  impossible  to  predict  absolutely ; 
but  I  should  not  expect  anything  of  value  from  it  proportionate  to 
the  expense. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Whether  you  would  look  upon  it  as  practi- 
cable ?  —  You  are  familiar  with  Pegan  brook  and  the  lay  of  the 
land  about  there? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Would  it,  in  your  judgment,  be  practicable  to  apply  some 
filtering  system,  similar  to  the  Bischoff  system,  by  which  to  purify 
the  water  with  iron  ? 

A.  Oh,  yes.  There  is  something  like  a  hundred  of  those  pro- 
cesses which  have  been  tried.  I  do  not  think  any  of  them  are 
fairly  successful.  The  iron  process  is  very  expensive.  It  is  cer- 
tainl}'  much  more  expensive  than  sewering  the  town  and  disposing 
of  the  matter.  Even  if  it  was  carried  down  to  where  no'  one 
could  make  complaint,  it  would  be  cheaper  than  the  Bischoff  pro- 
cess. That  process  is  very  expensive.  It  has  never  been  used  in 
towns  of  any  size.  The  only  places  where  it  has  been  used  are  a 
few  factories,  where  the  matter  was  concentrated. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  — Would  you  expect  any  benefit  to  be  derived  from 
daily  scientific  examinations  of  the  water? 

A.  It  seems  to  me  we  have  got  nearly  all  that  now.  We  should 
get  a  good  many  matters  of  scientific  interest  unquestionabty.  If 
it  could  be  carried  out  a  sufficient  length  of  time,  we  might  very 
likely  get  at  some  means  of  destroying  this  organic  matter  which 
is  giving  us  some  trouble.  If  all  these  improvements  were  made 
in  the  basin  I  do  not  suppose  we  should,  necessarily,  get  rid  of 
that  particular  form  of  vegetation  which  is  most  offensive  to  taste 
and  smell ;  and,  beyond  that,  we  have  got  to  find  out  how  to  get 
rid  of  that  matter.  Very  likely  investigations  carried  on  in  that 
direction,  for  certain  intervals,  for  a  long  time,  might  be  of  value. 

Q.  We  should  be  able  to  learn  the  natural  history  of  the  growth 
of  this  vegetation,  and,  perhaps,  be  able  to  devise  measures  to  pre- 
vent its  growth  in  certain  basins? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Will  freeing  the  basins  of  vegetation  and  deepening  the 
water  tend  to  retard  the  development  of  those  plants  ? 


104  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

A.  It  unquestionably  would  of  the  plants  which  have  given 
us  the  most  trouble  in  the  Sudbury-river  basins,  and  in  Horn 
pond,  and  quite  a  number  of  other  ponds  not  used  for  water 
supply ;  but  I  do  not  think  we  know  enough  about  the  others  to 
answer  that  question  definitely.  I  remember  once  that  in  the 
Chestnut-Hill  reservoir  basins  it  was  seen  one  year,  and  was  not 
in  any  of  these  shallow  basins. 

Q.  You  say  those  plants  are  absent  from  ponds  where  the 
water  is  at  its  greatest  depth  and  the  temperature  cooler? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.  By  adopting  those  measures,  would  we  not  prevent  them 
from  growing? 

A.  I  think  you  would  prevent  the  clathrocystis,  which  3*011  see 
sometimes  in  the  water ;  but  the  other  does  not  last  more  than 
ten  days  or  a  week  at  the  best,  and  it  is  in  a  very  minute 
quantity.  I  should  be  very  glad  if  I  could  say  that  would  be 
the  end  of  it ;  but  it  does  not  seem  to  me  that  would  be  warranted 
in  the  statement. 

Q.  Is  it  not  a  fact  that  ponds  fed  by  springs  from  the  bottom 
are  clearer  and  have  a  lower  temperature  ? 

A.   Yes,  sir,  very  much  less. 

Q.  So,  taking  all  the  measures  we  have  spoken  of,  we  could 
not  hardly  obtain  as  favorable  conditions  ? 

A.  No,  sir.  You  would  get  conditions  more  favorable  than 
in  some  natural  ponds,  like  those  supplied  from  surface-water 
and  flowage  from  fields ;  but  you  could  not  get  the  conditions 
obtainable  in  Lake  Wenham,  for  instance. 

Q.  Do  you  think  water  purifies  itself  from  sewage  by  running 
a  certain  number  of  miles,  and  standing  a  certain  time  ? 

A.   Yes,  to  a  certain  extent. 

Q.  In  what  way  is  the  purification  brought  about,  by  oxida- 
tion, chemically,  or  combination  of  all  processes? 

A.  By  oxidation,  to  a  certain  extent ;  but  fish  eat  a  great  deal 
of  sewage. 

Q.  When  you  get  the  sewage  diluted,  is  there  any  way  you 
can  say  that  water  purifies  itself  and  is  free  from  sewage? 

A.    No,  sir. 

Q.   There  is  no  way? 

A.   No,  sir. 

Mr.  GEEENOUGH.  —  You  are  familiar  with  the  laws  in  this  State 
affecting  the  pollution  of  water  supplies? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.    Do  you  look  upon  them  as  being  in  a  satisfactory  condition? 

A.  No,  sir;  not  at  all.  We  have  simply  compromises  between 
different  individuals  in  the  Legislature,  and  I  think  there  is 
very  little  satisfaction  in  them. 

Q.  You  would  strongly  advocate  the  laws  being  more  strin- 
gent? 

A.  It  seems  to  me  it  is  quite  important.  We  shall  have  to 
come  to  it  some  time  or  other. 

Q.  The  tendency  of  all  modern  legislation  is  to  protect  the 
source  of  supply  for  all  drinking-water? 


APPENDIX.  105 

A.  Yes,  sir.  They  have  gone  much  farther  in  Germany  than 
they  have  in  England  ;  and,  of  course,  farther  in  England  than  we 
have  here. 

Dr.  BLAKE. — Did  you  learn  anything  from  Sir  Frederick 
Bramwell  in  regard  to  water  supply  in  London? 

A.  No  more  than  I  knew  in  regard  to  it.  They  supply  about 
thirty  gallons  to  each  individual.  London  is  growing  rapidly, 
and  they  find  it  difficult  to  get  water  enough. 

Q.  Do  they  place  restrictive  measures  upon  consumers,  to 
prevent  waste  ? 

A.  The  London  water  supplies  are  all  private  corporations, 
and,  of  course,  they  have  to  restrict  consumers,  just  as  the  gas 
companies  do. 

Mr.  BRADLEE.  —  They  supply  them  differently  from  what  we 
do.  The}'  supply  the  cisterns. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  — And  they  fill  the  cisterns. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  And  they  use  filters. 

Dr.  FOLSOM.  —  Liverpool  is  the  only  city  that  has  meters. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  That  is  the  Deacon  meter,  and  it  is  not 
upon  the  houses.  You  may  have  noticed  that  we  have  been 
trying  to  introduce  them  here? 

A.  Yes,  sir.  I  went  through  the  matter  with  Mr.  Deacon, 
when  he  was  trying  to  introduce  them  in  Liverpool. 

Q.  You  would  consider  Lake  Cochituate  a  good  source  of 
supply  ? 

A.  It  certainly  was  until  the  dam  was  built.  Of  course  that 
flooded  a  large  area  of  meadow  land. 

Q.  Do  you  consider  the  purity  of  Lake  Cochituate  is  seriously 
affected  by  what  goes  into  it  ? 

A.  I  think  the  sewage  of  Natick  is  a  dangerous  element,  and  you 
cannot  detect  it. 

Q.  You  would  consider  it  worth  a  large  amount  of  money  to  the 
city  of  Boston  to  have  it  taken  out? 

A.    I  should  ;  yes. 

Q.  The  Sudbury-river  water  itself  is  good  water,  after  being 
stored? 

A.  I  think  it  is  probably  as  good  water  as  one  could  usually  ex- 
pect to  get  from  rivers. 

Q.  Are  you  familiar  with  the  water  supplies  of  any  of  the  other 
large  cities  of  this  country? 

A.   I  have  been,  with  a  good  many  of  them. 

Q.  Do  they  exercise  any  more  care  in  the  preparation  of  their 
basins  than  we  have  in  ours  ? 

A.  The  basins  of  some  of  the  cities  were  built  for  storage,  —  an 
entirely  different  purpose.  In  St.  Louis  they  are  built  of  light  clay 
and  sandy  bottom.  In  Louisville,  Ky.,  they  were  built  for  storing 
water  also,  and,  of  course,  were  built  very  carefully. 

Q.  But  those  were  only  built  for  the  purpose  of  holding  a  few 
days'  supply? 

A.  Yes.  I  think  the  difficulties  applying  to  our  system  would 
apply  to  all.  It  certainly  would  in  New  York.  The  Philadelphia 
water  is  a  good  deal  worse  than  ours. 


106  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

Q.  Would  it  be  your  opinion  that  we  had  got  a  tolerably  satis- 
factory water  supply  if  a  little  more  care  was  applied  to  the  prep- 
aration of  it? 

A.  I  should  say  a  good  deal  more  care.  It  is  a  very  large 
undertaking  to  construct  basins  as  they  should  be  constructed. 

Q.  Would  you  consider  it  worth  the  expense  now,  to  which  we 
would  have  to  go,  to  remove  the  loam  from  the  basins? 

A.    I  should  think  so,  for  drinking-water. 

Q.  As  a  matter  of  fact  I  understand  that  those  impurities  in  the 
basins  appear  at  a  later  date  now  than  they  did  in  the  previous 
year? 

A.   Yes,  sir,  it  is  a  fact. 

Q.  So  we  have  reason  to  believe  that,  in  a  few  years,  they  will 
disappear  ? 

A.  I  do  not  think  that  inference  is  a  fair  one.  It  has  been  the 
same  with  regard  to  other  ponds  in  which  there  has  been  no  change 
whatever  in  the  condition  of  the  pond. 

Q.  But  if  we  could  not  get  along  without  shallow  flowage  in  the 
basins  we  have,  you  would  rather  recommend  us  to  abandon  that 
portion  of  the  basins  in  which  the  flowage  is  shallow  and  dam  them 
off? 

A.   Decidedly. 

Q.   In  both  the  lake  and  in  the  basins? 

A.  Yes,  sir,  I  should.  I  do  not  mean  to  be  understood  as  saying 
that  I  think  it  will  render  the  water  perfectly  pure  and  free  from 
any  difficulties  whatever. 

Q.    Certainly  not.     But  there  will  be  less  growth  of  algce. 

A.  Yes,  sir ;  and  there  will  be  almost  none  of  this  solution  of 
peaty  substance  in  the  water,  which  is  a  difficulty  that  applies 
the  whole  year  round. 

Q.   You  mean  the  discoloration  ? 

A.  Discoloration  is  the  result  of  it.  There  is  a  large  amount  of 
vegetable  matter  dissolved  in  it,  which  is  the  cause  of  discoloration, 
and  that  exists  the  whole  year  round. 

Q.  I  understand  the  water  is  more  peaty  colored  when  it  comes 
into  the  basin  than  when  it  leaves  it  ? 

A.   Undoubted \y. 

Q.  And,  therefore,  it  does  not  necessarily  take  up  the  coloring 
matter  from  the  basin? 

A.  The  coloring  is  not  necessarily  an  index  of  the  presence  of 
organic  matter.  Some  dark  waters  contain  less  ammonia  than 
lighter  waters.  The  darker  and  lighter  colors  may  hold  the  same 
degree  of  decomposition. 

Q.  You  have  noticed  the  difference  in  the  water  in  Boston  to- 
day from  what  it  was  a  month  ago? 

A.  The  water  in  my  house  to-day  happens  to  be  more  highly 
colored  than  it  was  }iesterda}\  I  have  noticed  it  for  some  time 
past.  Usually  I  have  had  less  trouble  than  some  of  my  neighbors. 

(^.  But  the  fact  that  the  water  is  whiter  would  not  show  that  it 
is  purer? 

A.   It  would  not  necessarily.     It  might  in  this  case. 

Q.   You  had,  I  know,  some  talk  with  Sir  Frederick  Bramwell, 


APPENDIX.  107 

because  }rou  brought  him  into  my  office.  He  gave  me  an  account 
of  this  S3"stem  of  filtration  b}r  oxide  of  iron. 

A.    Of  sewage  ? 

Q.    No,  of  drinking-water. 

A.    I  thought  you  were  speaking  of  sewage. 

Q.    I  was,  in  regard  to  Pegan  brook. 

A.  Well,  Bischolfs  process  is  usually  applied  in  individual 
houses.  Very  likely  the  city  of  Antwerp  is  using  it ;  but  it  is 
something  quite  new  to  rne.  Mr.  BischofFs  system  for  filtering 
drinking-water  was  introduced  quite  a  number  of  years  ago  in 
London,  and  it  was  used  in  some  other  cities.  Chemists  do  not 
speak  as  favorably  of  it  now  as  they  did  in  the  beginning ;  but  still 
it  is  undoubtedly  good  enough  for  most  purposes.  I  did  not  know 
that  any  city  was  doing  it  upon  a  large  scale. 

Q.   I  think  there  are  several  at  present. 

A.   Very  likely. 

Q.  The  water,  as  it  comes  from  Pegan  brook,  contains  a  con- 
siderable quantity  of  sewage? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.  I  did  not  know  but  it  might  be  possible  to  so  filter  that 
brook  that  it  might  be  allowed  to  run  into  the  lake? 

A.  It  certainly  would  not  be  satisfactoiy  filtration  by  BischofTs 
system  of  spongy  iron,  because  it  does  not  completely  oxidize. 

Q.  You  think  nothing  but  chemical  treatment  would  affect  it? 
Would  it  be  possible  to  chemically  treat  that  water  so  as  to  render 
it  harmless  when  it  goes  into  the  lake? 

A.  I  do  not  think  there  is  any  method,  without  using  a  dis- 
infectant, which  must  be  so  strong  as  to  injure  the  water.  Un- 
doubtedty,  you  can  filter  the  water  by  the  spongy-iron  process  of 
Bischoff's,  so  as  to  sufficiently  oxidize  all  the  vegetable  matter, 
such  as  we  get  from  peat  and  turf,  etc.  Whether  it  can  be  done 
mechanically  or  not,  I  do  not  know.  I  never  investigated  that 
question.  It  certainly  would  be  sufficient  so  far  as  purifying  the 
water  from  vegetable  matter. 

Q.  Is  there  any  specific  alteration  in  the  law  which  we  now 
have  in  Massachusetts,  for  the  protection  of  the  water  supply, 
that  }TOU  would  recommend  ? 

A.  I  went  over  the  matter  pretty  carefully  two  or  three  years 
ago,  and  there  was  a  law  published  in  the  eighth  or  ninth  report  of 
the  State  Board  of  Health,  which  I  thought  would  be  sufficient  at 
that  time,  but  which  did  not  pass.  I  cannot  go  over  all  the  points 
here  now,  because  I  would  have  to  refresh  my  memory  about  it ; 
but  it  seems  to  me  the  passage  of  sewage  into  water  supplies  used 
for  drinking  ought  to  be  absolutely  prohibited. 

Q.  What  would  you  expect  the  town  of  Natick  to  do,  —  purify 
their  sewage,  or  seek  some  other  outlet  for  it? 

A.  I  think  they  ought  to  be  required  to  seek  some  other  outlet 
for  it. 

Q.  Take  the  rubber  factory  now  being  erected  on  the  borders  of 
Lake  Cochituate  ;  what  would  you  expect  the  law  to  compel  them 
to  do  ? 

A.   I  am  not  familiar  with  the  process  ;  but  I  think,  unquestion- 


108  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

ably,  they  should  be  enjoined  from  allowing  any  filth  to  go  into 
the  lake. 

Q.  You  know,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  that  the  present  law  will  not 
protect  the  water  supplies  ? 

A.   No,  it  will  not.     I  do  not  think  it  was  meant  to. 

Q.  These  basins  which  you  have  seen  in  London,  which  are 
gravelly  bottoms,  and  masonry  on  the  sides,  are  none  of  them  to 
be  compared  in  size  to  our  basins  ? 

A.  Those  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  London  are  not  so  large. 
But  there  are  two  sets  of  basins  on  the  East  river,  one  very  high 
up,  where  the  water  is  stored  about  three  days,  —  in  fact,  there  are 
three  sets,  —  another  set  quite  near  the  city,  which  are  filtering- 
basins.  The  basins  away  up  are  not  built  so  carefully ;  but  still 
they  are  so  constructed  as  to  prevent  the  water  from  being  shallow. 
That  method  has  been  recommended  very  urgently  in  England  for 
the  last  four  or  five  years  by  the  leading  engineers  for  the  smaller 
towns.  In  all  cases  that  is  one  of  the  points  they  insist  upon. 

Mr.  BRADLEE.  —  How  is  it  done  in  that  case? 

A.    I  forgot  what  they  called  the  method. 

Q.   Rip-rapping? 

A.    Yes,  rip-rapping. 

Q.   Do  you  know  what  slope  that  is  put  at  ? 

A.  No,  I  do  not.  I  should  suppose  that  would  be  the  cheapest 
way  of  doing  it. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  — You  did  not  see  any  basin  treated  that  way 
which  is  a  quarter  of  the  size  of  our  basins,  did  you? 

A.  I  will  not  be  sure  about  that.  I  think  some  of  those  London 
basins  must  be  more  than  a  quarter  of  the  size  of  ours.  There  are 
many  of  them. 

Q.   They  pump  the  water  from  the  river,  do  they  not? 

A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  So  they  do  not  find  it  necessary  to  store  the  water  as  long 
as  we  do  ? 

A.  Not  so  long  as  we  do.  They  pump  fifteen-sixteenths  of  their 
water  from  the  rivers. 

Q.   And  pump  it  daily  ? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.   There  are  six  water  companies  in  London  ? 

A.   I  do  not  remember  the  number. 

Q.  And  no  one  company  would  furnish  anything  like  the  quan- 
tity of  water  which  we  have  to  furnish  the  city  of  Boston  every 
day? 

A.  Our  present  supply  is  thirty-six  millions  of  gallons  ;  and 
there  is  no  London  company  which  furnishes  such  an  amount  as 
that. 

Q.   Probably  they  have  no  basins  as  large  as  ours? 

A.  I  should  say  no,  not  as  large,  but  I  should  say  a  quarter  as 
large.  I  did  not  measure  them,  and  it  is  difficult  to  estimate  their 
size. 

Q.  It  is  a  very  different  thing  when  you  are  treating  a  basin  of 
thirty  acres  from  treating  one  of  fifty  ? 

A.  Unquestionably. 


APPENDIX.  109 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Do  they  cover  their  basins  in  England,  and  roof 
them  over? 

A.  They  do,  some  of  them,  but  more  upon  the  Continent  than 
in  England. 

Q.    Is  it  pretty  general  on  the  Continent? 

A.   The  Germans  are  using  it  a  great  deal. 

Q.   "What  benefit  do  they  expect  to  derive  from  it? 

A.  Keeping  down  the  daily  temperature.  In  the  lower  part  of 
Germany  they  have  as  hot  weather  as  we  do.  In  England  they 
seldom  have  as  high  temperature  as  we  do. 

Q.  Have  they  come  to  this  improved  system  of  storing  water 
on  account  of  the  difficulties  in  the  past  from  shallow  flowage, 
etc.? 

A.  Yes,  very  largely  that.  The  city  of  Vienna  has  gone  fifty 
to  sixty  miles  for  its  water  supply,  to  a  very  pure  source  in  the 
mountains.  That  is  rather  an  exception.  Before  that  they  had 
been  using  the  river-water,  and  scarcely  required  any  storage- 
basins. 

Q.    Is  the  water  satisfactory  in  quality  ? 

A.  Its  appearance  is  that  of  spring-water.  A  great  many 
German  cities  are  poorly  supplied,  but  they  are  going  ahead  faster 
now. 

Adjourned  to  Wednesday,  Nov.  28,  at  4  P.M. 


EIGHTH    HEARING. 

NOVEMBER  28,  1882. 

The  Commission  met  at  4  P.M.  All  present,  except  Mr.  Cald- 
well.  Mr.  Greenough  in  the  chair. 

STATEMENT  OF  EDWARD  S.  WOOD,  M.D.,  PROFESSOR  OF  CHEM- 
ISTRY AT  THE  HARVARD  MEDICAL  SCHOOL. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  I  think,  doctor,  you  had  better  give  us  a  synopsis 
of  your  official  knowledge  of  the  condition  of  our  water  supply,  if 
you  prefer  that  method,  and  then  we  can  ask  questions  afterwards. 

Dr.  WOOD.  — I  would  prefer  to  have  }pou  ask  questions.  I  can 
only  say  that,  as  you  all  probably  know,  I  was  one  of  the  medical 
commission  which  recommended  the  taking  of  the  Sudbury-river 
water  in  1874,  and  our  report  was  published  in  that  year  by  the 
City  Government.  The  natural  condition  of  the  water  at  that  time 
is  fully  stated  in  that  report,  and  I  have  no  reason  to  think  that 
the  natural  water  of  the  Sudburj'-river  basin  has  been  changed 
since  ;  but  I  have  not  made  any  analysis  of  the  head-waters  of  the 
Sudbury  river  since  they  introduced  the  s}rstem  of  reservoirs. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  In  brief,  what  was  your  opinion  at  that 
time? 

A.  It  was  favorable.  We  were  ordered  to  investigate  the 
Sudbury,  Charles,  Mystic,  and  Shawsheen  waters  for  the  informa- 
tion of  the  Committee  on  Additional  Water  Suppty.  We  reported 


110  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

that  the  Shawsheen  was,  chemically,  the  best  water.,  It  was  also, 
hygienically,  the  best  water,  because  its  gathering  ground  was  in  a 
country  which  was  not  liable  to  rapid  future  growth,  and  the 
sources  of  contamination  in  the  way  of  mills  and  thickly  populated 
districts  were  few  ;  in  fact,  it  was  much  better  than  the  gathering 
grounds  of  any  of  the  other  rivers. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  — Better  at  that  time  and  prospective!}' ? 

A.  Better  at  that  time  and  prospective!}-.  But  the  amount  of 
water  which  could  be  obtained  at  that  time  from  the  Shawsheen 
was  not  sufficient,  and,  consequently,  it  was  abandoned  by  the  water 
committee,  and  subsequently  b}*  the  City  Council.  Then  we 
reported  that  the  Charles  and  the  Sudbury  were  equally  good,  — 
that  there  was  very  little  difference,  —  and,  if  the  city  of  Boston 
could  obtain  better  legislative  authority  in  favor  of  one  or  the 
other  river,  they  had  better  take  that  one.  They  had  at  that  time 
obtained  such  legislative  authority  that  they  could  control  the 
Sudbury  river  far  better  than  the  Charles,  and  therefore  the  Sud- 
bury was  taken.  We  reported  the  Mystic  supply  the  poorest  of 
all,  and  it  has  proved  to  be  so.  The  thickly  settled  sections  of 
Woburn,  Winchester,  and  other  towns,  to  say  nothing  of  the  tan- 
neries and  Russell  brook,  and  the  other  head-waters  emptying  into 
the  Mystic,  were  considered  undesirable.  If  I  remember  correctly, 
our  advice  was  to  abandon  the  Mystic  altogether. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  At  that  time  you  found  the  Sudbury  water  at  its 
source  sufficiently  pure  for  domestic  and  cooking  purposes  ? 

A.  Yes,  sir  ;  it  is  as  pure  as  the  head-waters  of  the  Cochituate  ; 
that  is,  Beaver  Dam  brook  was  much  purer  than  Pegan  brook. 

Q.  Since  that  time  there  has  been  very  little  to  corrupt  the 
water  from  below  the  head-waters  to  any  extent? 

A.  Not  to  my  knowledge,  I  do  not  know  of  an}rthing  which 
would  change  the  character  of  the  head-waters  of  the  Sudbury  river 
from  what  it  was  at  that  time. 

Q.  So  that  whatever  impurities  are  found  in  the  water  now  are 
the  result  of  our  method  of  taking  care  of  it,  and  storing  it,  and 
looking  after  it? 

A.  That  would  be  the  natural  inference,  and  that  is  my  own 
idea. 

Q.   Have  you  analyzed  the  water  recently  ? 

A.   I  have  analyzed  it  within  a  month. 

Q.  Judging  from  the  results  of  the  analysis,  could  you  form  any 
reasonably  correct  estimate  of  the  cause  of  the  impurity  ? 

A.   I  could  not. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  — What  impurity  did  3*011  find  in  it? 

A.    I  found  it  was  about  the  same  as  a  year  ago  in  November. 

Q.    Well,  the  water  has  changed  in  Boston  within  a  month. 

A.  I  made  an  examination  for  the  Boston  Water  Board  the 
other  day. 

Q.  And  you  found  that  it  contained  a  larger  amount  of  vege- 
table matter  than  it  ought  to? 

A.  Yes,  sir.  On  October  26th  I  made  an  examination  of  the 
water  of  Farm  pond,  Russell's  basin,  and  the  Bradlee  and  Lawrence 
basins,  and  on  Nov.  10th  I  examined  specimens  from  the  service. 


APPENDIX.  Ill 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  As  a  result  of  that  analysis  cannot  you  determine 
what  the  cause  of  the  impurity  in  the  water  is? 

A.  It  is  vegetable  matter.  It  is  not  an  impurity  from  animal 
contamination,  so  far  as  it  can  be  detected. 

Q.   Is  it  vegetable  matter  held  in  solution? 

A.    That  is  rny  own  idea. 

Q.  And  decayed  vegetable  matter  could  only  get  into  it  from 
the  storage-basins?  It  is  pure  at  its  source,  and  there  is  not  suf- 
ficient opportunity  for  it  to  become  pure  or  clear  from  the  vege- 
table matter,  in  its  transit  from  the  basins  to  where  it  enters  the 
city  ? 

A.  I  do  not  see  how  it  can  unless  it  meets  with  a  large  amount 
of  vegetable  matter  in  decomposition. 

Q.  Is  there  any  way  by  which  that  matter  could  enter  the  river, 
that  you  know  of,  at  this  time? 

A.  I  do  not  know  of  any.  I  do  not  know  of  there  being  any 
very  great  increase  of  population  on  the  banks  of  the  Sudbury, 
more  than  there  was  in  1874. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  — Did  you  take  these  samples  yourself? 

A.    I  did  not. 

Q.    Were  they  taken  from  the  river  ? 

A.  They  were  labelled  upon  the  bottles,  and  sent  to  me  by  Mr. 
Fitzgerald. 

Q.   There  was  none  from  the  river? 

A.  No,  sir,  not  from  the  river.  I  said  I  had  not  examined  the 
river  since  I  examined  the  head-waters  of  the  Sudbury,  in  1874. 

Q.  Do  you  consider  that  that  water  has  an  excess  of  vegetable 
matter  ? 

A.   Yes,  decidedly. 

Q.   Higher  than  is  considered  healthy? 

A.    It  is  higher  than  is  considered  healthy. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Will  you  read  the  results  of  those  analyses,  please? 

A.  Lawrence  basin,  albuminoid  ammonia  was  0.022.  The 
water  from  the  service  on  Nov.  10th  was  0.0278  parts  in  100,000. 

Q.    27  in  100,000? 

A.    278  ten-thousandths. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  What  would  you  consider  to  be  a  proper 
quantity  ? 

A.  15  is  the  maximum,  compared  with  27,  and  the  least  is  22. 
The  Lawrence  basin  takes  water  from  Lake  Cochituate? 

Q.   No  ;  from  the  Sudbury. 

A.  I  went  over  it  since  I  received  the  first  notice  to  appear 
before  this  Commission,  and  have  taken  the  pains  to  look  up  the 
former  anatyses,  so  far  as  I  had  them  in  my  own  library,  and 
those  were  monthly  and  weekly  examinations  made  by  Prof.  Nich- 
ols, previous  to  using  the  Sudbu^.  It  seems  to  my  mind  to  point 
with  certainty  that  the  cause  of  the  increased  contamination  must 
be  due  to  the  Sudbury-river  basins  in  some  way,  and  the  analysis 
which  I  made  this  last  month  almost  exactly  corresponded  with 
those  made  by  Prof.  Remsen  a  year  ago  in  November,  and  the 
Sudbury  basins  had  then  been  used  for  I  do  not  know  how  long. 
But  the  last  records  I  have  of  Prof.  Nichols'  analyses,  I  think,  are 


112  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

from  July,  1877,  to  April,  1879.     The  average  was,0.15  ;  just  the 
same. 

Q.  Be  kind  enough  to  read  where  those  samples  were  taken 
from. 

A.  October  26,  Farm  pond  ;  October  27,  Bradlee  basin  ;  Octo- 
ber 26,  Dam  1,  Dam  2,  and  Dam  3. 

Q.    How  did  Dam  2  compare  with  Dams  1  and  3? 

A.  It  is  the  same  as  Dam  1,  and  better  than  Dam  3.  Dam  3 
was  the  worst  one. 

Q.    What  were  the  parts  of  Dam  3  ? 

A.  0.0458,  compared  with  0.0388  for  Dam  2,  and  0.0388  for 
Dam  1. 

Q.  The  water  when  you  tested  it  in  1874  was  at  that  time  a 
highly  colored  water,  was  it  not? 

A.  It  was  highly  colored,  but  it  did  not  have  any  such  amount 
as  this  in  it. 

Q.  This  albuminoid  is  not  necessarily  dependent  upon  the  color 
of  the  water  at  all  ? 

A.  Not  at  all.  The  coloring  is  vegetable  matter,  and  the 
greater  the  color,  other  things  being  equal,  the  greater  the  amount 
of  albuminoid  ammonia. 

Q.  You  would  expect  from  the  coloring  that  it  contains  vegeta- 
ble matter? 

A.   The  coloring  matter  is  vegetable  matter. 

Q.  The  statement  is  made  to  this  Commission  that  the  water,  as 
it  leaves  Dam  2,  is  whiter  than  when  it  goes  into  it  —  the  water 
from  the  river? 

A.   Where  is  Dam  2  ? 

Q.  It  is  like  a  fork,  the  principal  fork  being  the  Sudbury,  and 
Dam  2  would  be  the  first  dam  on  it,  and  Dam  3  on  the  other  branch, 
and  Dam  1  is  where  they  come  together.  Dam  2  is  the  principal 
basin  upon  the  main  branch  of  the  river. 

A.   And  Dam  2  is  on  the  line  from  Marlboro'  or  Milford  ? 

Q.   Well,  I  don't  know  about  that. 

A.   I  am  not  sure  myself.     It  is  eight  years  since  I  was  there. 

Q.  Dam  3  would  be  north  of  Dam  2.  The  principal  branch  of 
the  river  comes  through  Dam  2,  and  the  statement  is  made  to  us 
that  the  water  is  a  little  darker  when  it  enters  the  basin  than  it  is 
when  it  leaves  that  dam. 

A.   That  may  be. 

Q.  If  that  is  the  case,  would  you  expect  to  find  that  the  water 
had  taken  up  vegetable  matter  in  that  dam  ? 

A.  I  should  think  it  might.  I  said,  other  things  being  equal ; 
but  in  flowing  through  the  Sudbury  basins  the  other  things  might 
not  be  equal. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  But  the  coloring  is  not  dependent  upon  the  pres- 
ence of  albuminoid  ammonia? 

A.  If  there  were  a  very  large  amount  of  coloring  the  albuminoid 
ammonia  would  naturally  increase. 

Q.   Exactly ;  but  you  might  have  perfectly  clear  water  with  a 
deleterious  amount  of  albuminoid  ammonia  ? 
A.    Certainly. 


APPENDIX.  113 

Q.  You  know  something  about  the  want  of  preparation  of  those 
basins? 

A.  I  do  not,  from  personal  inspection.  I  have  not  been  there 
since  the  basins  were  built,  not  having  had  an  opportunity. 

Q.  Suppose  a  basin  had  a  large  amount  of  decaying  matter  in 
it,  and  was  formed  from  land  used  for  agricultural  purposes,  and 
there  was  a  great  amount  of  grass,  peat,  and  loam ;  would  that  be 
sufficient  to  account  for  the  result  of  your  analysis  of  the  water? 

A.  I  should  say  that  the  covering  of  any  territory,  with  any 
large  amount  of  vegetation  upon  it,  with  water  would  increase  the 
amount  of  vegetable  matter  very  largely,  and  therefore  may  have 
increased  the  impurity  of  the  water. 

Q.  Looking  at  the  result  of  your  analysis,  do  you  think  that 
allowing  the  water  to  stand  for  any  definite  time,  say  for  three 
years  or  more,  would  be  sufficient  to  effect  the  process  of  purifica- 
tion? Would  the  albuminoid  ammonia  be  exhausted,  and  the 
water  be  rendered  free  from  its  presence,  by  allowing  it  to  stand 
for  a  sufficiently  long  time  in  the  basins? 

A.  It  is  my  impression  that  that  would  be  so,  judging  from  the 
history  of  ponds,  and  mill-ponds  especially  ;  that  the  bottom  tends 
to  become  pure  after  a  lapse  of  time.  To  use  a  countryman's  ex- 
pression, ponds  work  for  about  ten  years  and  ferment,  and  decom- 
position goes  on,  and,  of  course,  there  finally  comes  a  time,  if  the 
pond  is  kept  at  a  constant  level,  when  there  is  no  longer  any  vege- 
table matter  to  decompose,  providing  there  is  a  constant  stream 
of  water  flowing  through  that  pond.  Of  course  the  products  of 
decomposition  are  washed  out  after  a  while,  and  I  see  no  other 
result  that  can  be  reached. 

Q.  Well,  in  our  storage-basins  there  is  no  water  flowing  through 
them ;  they  are  prepared  and  intended  to  be  used  as  reservoirs. 

A.    I  know  it ;  but  how  can  they  help  being  overflowed. 

Q.   But  there  is  not  a  constant  overflow. 

A.  At  present  the  same  object  is  reached  by  the  conduit,  which 
acts  as  an  outlet. 

Q.   Yes. 

A.   Then  there  must  be  water  flowing  through  it? 

Q.   I  did  not  know  you  meant  it  in  that  sense,  as  a  mill-pond. 

A.  Yes,  sir,  there  is  a  constant  action  of  the  water.  Of  course, 
if  the  Sudbury  basins  are  not  drawn  upon,  there  would  be  sufficient 
to  make  them  overflow. 

Q.  You  do  not  think  three  years  would  be  sufficient  to  purify 
them? 

A.  It  was  distinctly  stated  by  us  in  writing,  I  think,  that  the 
water  should  not  be  used  for  five  years,  and  possibty  ten,  without 
dredging  the  bottom.  That  was  our  distinct  idea  at  the  time,  and 
I  think  it  was  so  stated  in  the  report  of  the  medical  commission  ; 
but  I  will  not  be  sure. 

Q.  Did  you  recommend  that  the  bottom  of  the  reservoirs  be 
dredged  ? 

A.  Yes ;  or  else  that  the  ponds  have  sufficient  time  to  purify 
themselves,  at  least  five  years,  and  possibly  ten. 

Q.  At  that  time  you  apprehended  this  trouble  if  those  rec- 
ommendations were  not  complied  with  ? 


114  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

A.  The  recommendations  were  not  complied  with.  That  idea 
was  also  distinctly  stated  to  us  by  one  of  the  engineers,  Mr.  Davis, 
and  Mr.  Stanwood  had  the  same  opinion ;  and  it  was  supposed  at 
that  time  that  there  would  not  be  any  \iecessity  for  using  the  Sud- 
buiy  within  that  period. 

Q.  Have  you  at  any  time  detected  the  presence  of  sewage  in 
the  drinking-water  of  Boston  ? 

A.  I  have  not  that  I  can  swear  to ;  yes,  I  have  too,  —  Pegan 
brook ;  I  can  swear  to  that,  because  I  could  see  the  solid  faeces 
going  into  the  Cochituate. 

Q.  Were  you  called  upon  to  testify  to  the  impurity  of  the 
water  ? 

A.  I  was  called  upon  to  testify  at  Natick  before  the  county 
commissioners,  I  think,  at  some  hearing  to  prevent  the  town  of 
Natick  from  polluting  Pegan  brook.  That  was  about  a  year  ago, 
I  think.  There  were  the  drain-pipes  from  a  large  hotel  in  Natick. 
I  happened  to  examine  Pegan  brook  as  the  contents  of  those  pipes 
flowed  into  the  brook,  and  thence  into  the  settling-basins. 

Q.  It  is  not  }Tour  opinion  that  the  water  in  passing  the  distance 
it  does  from  there  to  the  city  of  Boston  can  purify  itself  by  the 
exposure? 

A.  The  sewage  is  so  largely  diluted  that  I  do  not  think  chem- 
istry detects  it ;  but  I  do  not  think  the  water  is  purified. 

Q.  And  it  is  not  free  from  danger,  although  you  are  unable  to 
detect  it  chemically  ? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Would  you  expect  that  a  contagious  disease 
in  South  Natick  could  be  carried  into  Boston  by  the  water? 

A.   It  is  a  mooted  question,  and  I  cannot  settle  it. 

Q.   What  is  your  opinion  ? 

A.  My  opinion  is,  that  even  if  it  is  largely  diluted,  it  is  luck 
and  chance  if  we  do  not  get  something  of  it. 

Q.  I  was  reading  yesterday  a  statement  that  I  should  like  to 
have  your  opinion  about.  It  is  that  the  Seine,  after  flowing  a  few 
miles  below  Paris,  becomes  pure.  Do  you  agree  with  that  ? 

A.  I  should  simply  refer  3Tou  to  the  statement  of  the  English 
water  commissioners,  and  the  results  arrived  at  by  them  after 
careful  inquiry,  and  to  Prof.  Nichols'  statement  in  some  of  the 
reports  of  the  State  Board  of  Health,  where  you  cannot  detect  the 
sewage,  because  it  is  so  much  diluted.  The  amount  of  water  flow- 
ing into  the  subsoil  of  any  stream  is  very  great.  Of  course  every 
mile  or  half  a  mile  of  the  river,  each  bank  of  a  river  or  brook  has 
its  own  collecting  area,  with  the  subsoil  water  flowing  directly 
to  the  brook  or  stream  ;  and  if  you  dig  a  hole  beside  the  river, 
either  a  large  or  small  hole,  the  level  remains  the  same,  owing 
to  this  subsoil  flow,  and  that  level  is  almost  constantly  higher  than 
the  water  in  the  river.  In  Lawrence  the  character  of  the  water 
is  very  different.  The  water  of  the  river  is  about  one  degree  hard, 
and  the  water  of  the  full  basin  is  about  five  degrees  hard.  Conse- 
quently it  shows  that  they  have  a  constant  flow  of  water  toward 
the  river.  In  a  well-arranged  filtering-basin  they  will  pump  large 
amounts,  as  they  do  at  Lawrence  and  Waltham,  without  lowering 


APPENDIX.  115 

the  level  of  the  filtering-basin  to  the  level  of  the  river  by  the  side 
of  which  it  is  located.  That  shows  how  much  dilution  may  have 
to  do  with  the  disappearance  of  any  contamination. 

Q.  You  do  not  believe,  then,  that  the  germs  of  disease,  when 
poured  into  drinking-water,  are  ever  taken  out  of  it  ? 

A.  I  do  not  believe  you  can  be  sure  of  it.  The  only  safe  way 
is  to  never  let  it  in. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  And,  as  a  scientific  man,  you  are  utterly  opposed 
to  letting  sewage  into  the  water  supply  of  a,ny  city  or  town? 

A.   Yes,  sir  ;  either  directl}7  or  indirectly; 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  You  were  employed  by  the  Water  Board  to 
give  testimony  in  regard  to  Natick? 

A.    I  was. 

Q.   And  you  saw  the  unsatisfactory  working  of  the  present  law? 

A.    I  did.     I  saw  the  result  was  negatived. 

Q.  And  in  your  judgment  an  effort  should  be  made  to  get  more 
satisfactor}r  laws  in  regard  to  preventing  the  pollution  of  drinking- 
water? 

A.    I  should  say  so,  decidedly. 

Q.  And  that  considerable  injustice  was  done  to  the  city  of 
Boston  at  that  time? 

A.  I  think  it  was.  It  is  no  reflection  upon  the  Water  Board 
or  the  city  of  Boston,  at  all ;  they  did  their  best. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Is  it  your  opinion  that  the  temperature  of  the 
water  has  a  great  deal  to  do  with  the  growth  of  these  water-plants  ? 

A.  Yes,  sir ;  in  all  shallow  ponds.  The  growth  takes  place  in 
summer,  and  not  in  winter. 

Q.  As  a  remedy  for  that,  }*ou  would  recommend  deepening  the 
basins,  and  cleansing  them  from  decaying  vegetable  matter? 

A.   Positively. 

Q.  And  if  that  is  done  with  our  present  basins  we  should  have 
an  appreciable  improvement  in  the  condition  of  the  water? 

A.    It  might  not  be  immediate. 

Q.  No ;  but  we  would,  in  time,  if  we  removed  the  cause  of  the 
present  sources  of  impurity. 

A.  I  should  think  so.  If  I  understand  the  arrangement  now, 
it  is  that  the  water  can  be  taken  through  Basin  1,  either  from 
Basins  2  or  3  at  will,  —  am  I  correct? 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  — Yes. 

A.  And  that  it  can  be  allowed  to  flow  either  through  Farm  pond 
or  not? 

Q.   No  ;  it  has  got  to  go  through  Farm  pond. 

A.    What  has  become  of  the  canal? 

Q.    It  is  filled  up. 

A.   It  is  filled  up  ? 

Q.    Farm  pond  is  not  any  worse  off  than  Dam  2. 

A.  Dam  2  is  at  the  foot  of  which  basin  ? 

Q.   At  the  foot  of  Basin  2. 

A.    Leading  from  Basin  2  to  Basin  1  ? 

Q.    Yes.     Dam  2  has  always  had  comparatively  good  water. 

A.    I  am  not  familiar  with  them. 

Q.  I  am  sorry  that  you  had  no  water  furnished  from  the  river 


116  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

itself,  so  that  a  comparison  might  be  made  with  the  water  from  the 
basins. 

A.  I  see  no  reason  for  a  difference  between  the  water  of  the 
river  and  that  of  the  basins  ;  but  I  have  not  inspected  them  late!}*. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  I  think  that  would  be  almost  decisive,  and  I 
should,  for  my  part,  certainty  desire  that  the  doctor  be  requested 
to  examine  the  river-water  at  its  source  and  just  before  it  enters 
those  basins.  I  think  the  results  would  be  conclusive  if  they 
showed  a  decided  difference,  —  I  mean  Whitehall  pond,  and  the 
various  ponds  down  the  river. 

A.  Whitehall  pond  showed  one  of  the  worst  results  at  that 
time.  I  would  suggest  that  the  Commission  refer  to  the  report  of 
the  medical  commission  of  1874. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  —  If  you  are  going  to  make  any  further  analysis 
of  the  water  of  the  river,  I  think  it  would  be  a  good  idea  to 
analyze  some  from  Cedar  Swamp  pond. 

A.    Cedar  Swamp  pond  is  one  of  the  worst. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  If  Dr.  Wood  examines  the  water  outside  of  the 
basins,  that  would  be  the  fairest  method  ;  and  then  if  he  compared 
it  with  the  water  in  the  basins  that  would  show  where  the  impuri- 
ties come  in. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  —  Dr.  Walcott,  who  went  out  with  us  the  other 
day,  said  we  had  not  gone  to  the  source  of  the  supply  that  was 
likely  to  be  the  cause  of  the  trouble  ;  that  there  was  nothing  at 
Whitehall  pond  that  was  likely  to  be  objectionable  ;  but  the  other 
source  of  supply  is  the  swamp,  the  water  of  which  has  never  been 
particularly  looked  after. 

Dr.  WOOD.  —  By  referring  to  City  Document  102,  of  1874, 1  find 
a  record  of  an  analysis  of  Cedar  Swamp  pond,  which  is  above 
Milford,  on  the  Charles. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Even  if  the  water  is  impure,  or  contains  a  large 
percentage  of  solid  matter  at  Cedar  Swamp  pond,  if  that  becomes 
very  much  diluted,  it  would  not  be  a  fair  indication  of  the  condi- 
tion of  the  water  outside  of  the  dam.  He  should  examine  the 
water  outside  of  the  dam  and  in  the  basins  also. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  — I  should  like  to  know  what  the  condition  of  the 
Cedar  Swamp  water  is. 

Dr.  WOOD.  —  At  the  proposed  location  of  Dam  3,  in  September, 
1874,  the  albuminoid  ammonia  in  Whitehall  pond  was  0.0248. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH. — That  is  almost  what  it  is  now  in  Boston. 
There  is  one  place  where  jx>u  have  got  it  0.024. 

A.  Yes,  sir ;  in  the  proposed  location  of  Basin  No.  4,  on  Cold 
Spring  brook,  it  was  0.0185  ;  Angle  brook,  below  Marlborough, 
0.0104 ;  Angle  brook,  at  the  proposed  location  of  Basin  No.  7,  not 
yet  built,  I  believe,  .0009  ;  Sudbury  river,  at  Cordaville,  0.027,  —  a 
sample  taken  just  below  the  woollen  factory;  at  Ashland,  and 
above  Ashland,  .031,  and  below  Ashland,  .036.  That  is  on  p.  43 
of  City  Document  102,  1874. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  — You  find  nothing  in  the  water  that  cannot  be  ac- 
counted for  by  the  presence  of  decaying  vegetable  matter? 

A.   No,  sir. 

Q.   No  specific  cause  of  pollution  ? 


APPENDIX.  117 

A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  Simply  such  as  you  would  expect  from  natural  lands  par- 
tially excavating  them  and  making  reservoirs  of  them,  and  leaving 
them  with  all  the  natural  growth  of  vegetation  and  loam,  and  that 
exposed  to  a  high  temperature  in  the  summer ;  and  the  decay  of 
that  vegetable  matter  would  account  for  the  troubles  we  are  now 
suffering  from? 

A.  I  should  think  so,  sir.  I  should  think,  even  in  the  case  of 
the  decaying  vegetable  matter,  that  it  affords  food  for  the  growth 
of  algce,  and  gives  rise,  as  a  consequence,  to  an  increased  growth 
of  algce,  which,  in  their  turn,  must  decay  ;  and  some  of  these,  as 
we  all  know,  give  rise  to  very  disagreeable  odors  and  tastes. 

Q.  So  that  at  all  times  during  your  professional  connection 
with  the  water  }*ou  have  been  quite  satisfied  in  your  own  mind  as 
to  the  cause  of  the  disagreeable  taste  and  color  and  smell  of  the 
water  ? 

A.  The  color  oftentimes  comes  from  the  head-waters,  and 
usually  disappears  by  proper  storage,  so  that  a  highly  colored 
brook-water  upon  being  properly  stored,  as  it  always  had  been  in 
previous  years,  loses  that  color.  The  Beaver  Dam  brook  water  is 
highly  colored,  and  by  being  stored  in  Lake  Cochituate  loses  a 
large  portion  of  that  coloring  matter,  and  we  receive  the  water  in 
the  city  very  slightly  colored. 

Q.  So  that  taking  a  highly  colored  water  and  storing  it  in 
proper  basins,  which  have  been  prepared  by  cementing  the  bottoms 
or  removing  the  loam,  or  by  building  an  artificial  basin  of  stone, 
you  would  consider  that  the  water  would  lose  its  color,  and  not 
have  this  decaying  vegetable  matter? 

A.    Yery  largely,  sir. 

(The  Commission  directed  the  City  Engineer  to  procure  samples 
of  the  water  of  the  river  and  the  basins,  at  various  points,  to  be 
analyzed  by  Dr.  Wood.) 

Dr.  WOOD.  — I  should  like  to  state  that,  in  my  opinion,  Novem- 
ber is  a  pretty  bad  time,  because  it  shows  the  water  at  its  worst. 
As  the  surface-water  is  being  cooled  by  the  beginning  of  cold 
weather,  it  causes  the  water  on  the  surface  to  sink,  and  the  water 
at  the  bottom  of  the  pond  or  reservoir,  whichever  it  may  be,  rises, 
and  3Tou  get  all  the  impurities  which  have  been  collecting  in  the 
water  which  has  been  standing  during  the  whole  summer.  That  is 
\ery  well  illustrated  in  Fresh  pond,  at  Cambridge.  In  November 
and  December  we  get  a  very  large  amount  of  apparent  impurity 
in  the  water.  We  get  then  the  result  of  the  summer's  decompo- 
sition at  the  bottom,  and  we  get  it  in  our  service-pipes.  That  dis- 
appears largely  in  the  spring,  and  reappears  every  fall.  So  that, 
in  an  analysis  of  a  water  in  November,  you  may  reckon  upon 
getting  the  worst  results. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  — Then  we  would  not  expect  the  water  to  show 
as  bad  as  this? 

A.   Any  pond-water? 

Q.    Our  water. 

A.  Probably  not. 

Q.   Not  show  as  badly  in  the  spring  as  now  ? 


118  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

A.   Probably  not. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  In  your  opinion  is  there  any  process  of  filtration 
that  can  be  applied  to  our  system  of  water  supply  with  beneficial 
results? 

A.  I  should  not  dare  to  answer  that  question.  I  have  not 
thought  of  it  with  sufficient  care  to  warrant  me  in  giving  an  opin- 
ion. 

Q.  What  measures  would  3*011  recommend  for  improving  the 
qualit}7  of  the  water  in  purifying? 

A.  That  is  a  pretty  difficult  question,  and  requires  a  great  deal 
of  consideration.  I  have  an  opinion, — but  it  is  one  that  I  could 
not  support  in  any  way  ;  but  I  should  say  the  first  thing  was  ex- 
treme watchfulness,  —  and  I  have  no  doubt  but  that  has  been  already 
resorted  to  ;  to  take  water  from  whichever  reservoir  or  source  that 
is  apparently  the  best ;  to  utilize  the  purer  sources  as  much  as 
possible,  and  the  most  impure  sources  as  little  as  possible  ;  that  is, 
if  the  Sudbury-river  basins  are  impure,  to  use  Lake  Cochituate  ; 
if  Basin  2  is  bad  and  Basin  3  is  good,  not  to  use  Basin  2,  and  vice 
versfi,.  I  cannot  now  see  anything  else  but  time. 

Q.   Would  you  not  recommend  the  excavating  of  the  basins  ? 

A.  I  mean  in  addition  to  what  I  have  said.  I  have  said  that 
before. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Even  if  that  were  done,  you  would  expect 
that  we  should  have  impurity  in  our  water  supply? 

A.  I  do  not  expect  the  Boston  water  will  be  pure  for  many 
years. 

Q.  Therefore  we  ought  to  have  so  large  an  excess  of  supply  that 
we  can  cut  off  any  portion  at  any  time  it  became  impure  ? 

A.    I  should  think  so. 

Q.  Do  you  happen  to  know  an}*thing  about  the  consumption  of 
water  in  other  cities  and  towns  ?  You  know  something  about  the 
consumption  of  water  in  Cambridge? 

A.  It  is  veiy  low  ;  and  it  is  due  to  good  water  superintendence. 
It  is  due  to  one  man,  and  to  only  one  man  ;  and  I  think  it  might 
be  done  in  Boston  if  you  had  the  right  man,  and  he  had  full  control 
of  the  matter. 

Q.  You  have  no  doubt  the  consumption  in  Boston  could  be 
largely  reduced  without  an}'  disadvantage  to  the  public? 

A.  It  could  be  very  largely  reduced.  I  am  not  an  expert  in 
the  handling  of  water  systems,  and  pretend  to  know  nothing  about 
it  practically.  But  I  know  that  the  system  of  inspection  in  use  in 
Cambridge  is  such  that  a  leak  can  be  located  within  a  few  hundred 
feet,  and  that  the  system  of  inspection  has  resulted  in  vast  benefit 
to  that  city. 

Q.  It  has  cut  your  consumption  down  to  the  vicinity  of  forty 
gallons  a  head? 

A.   Forty-six,  I  believe. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  In  the  preparation  of  storage-basins  for  present 
or  future  use,  you  would  recommend  that  greater  care  be  taken  in 
their  preparation  than  has  been  used  ? 

A.  I  think  so,  if  there  is  a  probability  of  their  being  used  within 
ten  years. 


APPENDIX.  119 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Do  you  not  know,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  that 
there  never  has  been  a  time  within  the  last  ten  years  when  the  city 
of  Boston  has  not  been  to  the  limit  of  its  supply? 

A.  I  know  it  was  so  in  1875,  and  earlier ;  but  I  think  there 
ought  to  be  enough  supply  in  those  basins  to  prevent  additional 
basins  being  used  so  soon.  It  was  supposed,  at  the  time,  that  there 
would  be  sufficient  supply  in  the  collecting  area  of  Sudbury  river  to 
last  Boston  a  good  many  years,  even  with  an  extravagant  waste 
of  water. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —Have  }*ou  any  remarks  to  make  on  this  subject, 
in  relation  to  methods  of  purification  of  the  source  of  supply  ? 

A.  I  have  nothing  to  offer  except  what  I  think  I  have  mentioned 
before.  1  think  the  result  of  the  analyses  of  water  in  the  past  few- 
years,  together  with  those  made  before  the  introduction  of  the 
Sud  bury -river  water,  show  with  a  great  deal  of  certainty  that  the 
present  impurities  and  sources  of  contamination  come  from  the 
Sudbury  district. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Is  this  matter  in  the  water  wholly  in  sus- 
pension, or  in  solution? 

A.  Largely  in  solution.  Of  course  there  is  a  good  deal  of  in- 
soluble matter  which  is  brought  from  the  present  reservoirs  and 
basins,  and  which  is  undergoing  decomposition.  The  products  of 
that  decomposition  are  largely  soluble  in  water.  Take  sulphuretted 
hydrogen.  1  think  all  of  you  know  that  at  the  time  the  first  dams 
were  built,  and  the  water  was  let  into  those  basins,  a  piece  of 
cloth  saturated  with  acetate  of  lead,  and  hung  upon  the  lee  side  of 
the  basins,  very  quickly  became  blackened  from  the  sulphuretted 
hydrogen  blowing  from  the  ponds.  That  sulphuretted  hydrogen 
must  have  come  from  the  decaying  vegetable  matter  at  the  bottom 
of  the  pond.  That  state  of  things  lasted  several  months,  and  I  do 
not  know  but  longer. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Would  the  vegetable  growths  require  organic 
matter  for  sustenance  and  growth? 

A.    That  is  one  of  their  foods. 

Q.  The  removal  of  that,  and  lowering  the  temperature  of  the 
water  by  increasing  the  depth  of  the  basins,  would  naturally  re- 
tard or  diminish  the  amount? 

A.  There  is  no  doubt  but  deep  storage  is  the  best,  and  that 
shallow  flowage  increases  the  tendency  to  vegetable  decomposi- 
tion at  the  bottom  of  any  pond  or  basin. 

Q.   Because  of  the  rise  in  temperature? 

A.   Yes,  sir ;  by  the  action  of  the  sun. 

Q.  Suppose  it  were  possible  to  shut  out  the  sun  by  covering  the 
basins,  you  would  recommend  that  as  a  preventive  measure,  to  some 
extent,  would  you  not? 

A.  I  hardly  see  how  it  would  be  possible  over  a  very  large 
area.  They  tried  to  remedy  that  trouble  somewhat  in  Lake 
Cochituate  by  building  a  dam  so  as  to  keep  the  water  pretty  deep 
over  a  large  area.  It  was  recommended  by  us  in  our  supplement- 
ary report,  that  the  shallow  flowage  should  be  remedied  in  some 
way,  and  they  did  so  by  building  the  dam. 


120  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

Q.  Of  course  it  would  be  desirable  in  the  construction  of  all 
future  basins  and  reservoirs  to  have  as  deep  storage<as  possible? 

A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Deep  storage  and  clean  basins  are  the  remedies,  or  we  shall 
have  to  look  for  no  improvement  in  our  water? 

A.    Yes,  sir ;  I  think  so. 

Adjourned  to  Nov.  29,  at  4  P.M. 


NINTH    HEARING. 

NOVEMBER  29,  1882. 

The  Commission  met  at  4  P.M.     All  present. 

STATEMENT  OF  PROF.  ALPHEUS  HYATT. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Prof.-  Hjatt,  we  believe  you  know  more 
about  the  zoology  of  our  water  supply  than  any  one  else,  and  we 
want  you  to  tell  us  what  you  know  about  the  habits  of  the  spon- 
gilla. 

Prof.  HYATT.  —  Do  you  mean  by  that  a  general  question? 

Q.    Yes,  the  spongilla  such  as  we  discovered  last  year. 

A.  The  habits  are  various.  It  grows  mostly  in  water  which 
is  in  motion.  It  does  not  as  a  rule,  in  my  experience,  grow  very 
abundantly  in  water  which  is  perfectly  still.  It  must  be  where  there 
is  sufficient  food.  It  is  usually  attached  to  hard  substances.  That 
is  a  general  statement  of  its  general  habits. 

Q.   It  grows  generally  in  ponds  ? 

A.  In  ponds,  reservoirs,  and  streams  ;  but  almost  invariably  in 
water  which  is  in  motion,  and  in  moderately  pure  water.  In  fact, 
I  should  say  it  demands  good  water. 

Q.  The  presence  of  the  sponge  in  the  Boston  water  would  be 
rather  a  testimony  to  its  goodness? 

A.  Where  the  sponge  is  living,  where  it  is  alive,  it  would  be  a 
testimony  that  the  water  is  good.  In  qualification  of  this,  I  would 
say  that  I  have  known  of  this  form  of  pond  sponge,  the  spongilla 
lacustris,  to  live  in  my  laboratory  for  quite  a  number  of  weeks  under 
conditions  which  I  never  supposed  possible.  I  never  supposed  any 
animal  would  live  in  water  which  had  been  kept  in  such  a  small 
quantity  in  proportion  to  the  amount  of  the  animal  in  it  for  such  a 
length  of  time. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  You  had  not  the  conditions  there  which  you 
usually  associate  with  this  growth  ? 

A.   Exactl}*.     I  had  the  wrong  conditions  altogether. 

Q.    Stagnant  water? 

A.  1  had  conditions  under  which  I  thought  it  would  be  impos- 
sible for  it  to  live  that  length  of  time.  The  water  did  not  seem  to 
become  stagnant. 

Q.   That,  in  a  measure,  modified  your  views  as  to  its  growth? 

A.  Yes,  in  regard  to  this  particular  kind  of  sponge ;  it  would 
not  in  regard  to  others. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  — What  is  the  food  of  the  sponge? 

A.  The  food  is  microscopic,  both  animal  and  vegetable.     The 


APPENDIX.  121 

food  is  very  minute.  The  City  Engineer  wrote  me  to  bring  up  a 
diagram  and  some  preparations.  I  have  not  the  preparations,  but 
I  have  the  diagram,  if  the  Commission  would  like  to  look  at  it  to 
see  the  general  character  of  the  sponge.  This  is  not  our  fresh- 
water sponge.  [The  diagram  was  exhibited.]  This  represents 
commercial  sponge.  I  have  here  a  specimen  of  a  common  sponge. 
You  observe  that  in  all  sponges  there  are  large  and  small  openings. 
This  diagram  represents  a  sponge  attached  to  a  rock.  I  have  slit 
it  in  half,  and  I  show  you  the  cut  half  so  as  to  exhibit  the  inside 
of  the  sponge.  1  have  not  the  outside.  The  animal  is  surrounded 
by  a  skin,  represented  by  this  3*ellow  line.  Here  you  see  large 
canals  running  down  into  the  animal.  Those  large  canals  have 
small  ones,  and  others  connecting  with  the  water  through  small 
openings.  These  red  dots  are  properly  the  stomachs  of  the  sponge  ; 
it  has  a  great  many  of  them.  The  stomachs  are  lined  with 
peculiar  cells,  which  act  as  digestive  organs.  This  blue  represents 
the  food  going  into  the  stomach  from  the  outside.  The  food  goes 
in  at  these  minute  apertures.  The  small  sacs  receive  the  food 
when  it  is  carried  through  all  the  channels.  The  outer  part  is  a 
sort  of  sieve  in  the  water ;  it  keeps  out  large  food  and  lets  in  small 
food  through  the  minute  pores,  which  finds  its  way  through  these 
canals  into  these  little  sacs.  After  digestion  takes  place  the 
excrement  is  thrown  out,  and  finds  its  way  from  the  inside  to  the 
outside  through  the  larger  canals.  The  excrement  is  a  minute 
pellet,  very  small,  but  veiy  abundant,  — so  abundant  that  in  some 
of  our  sponges  it  is  quite  remarkable.  I  should  say  it  does  not 
pollute  the  water.  I  do  not  regard  the  sponge  in  a  health}'  condi- 
tion as  injurious  to  the  water  whatever.  It  must  be  an  animal 
which  clears  out  an  immense  quantity  of  vegetable  and  animal 
matter.  It  is  a  creature  possessing  an  organization  requiring  a 
good  deal  of  food,  and  it  is  feeding  all  the  time. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Is  there  any  change  in  the  process  of  digestion 
that  renders  the  excrements  inert? 

A.  That  I  would  not  say.  I  onl}r  know  that  the  food  is  taken 
in,  and  the  usual  changes  take  place,  and  the  results  are  thrown 
off;  but  I  should  not  regard  them  as  injurious. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  — The  sponge  is  generally  regarded  as  on  the 
line  between  the  animal  and  the  vegetable? 

A.    No,  sir  ;  it  is  an  egg-producing  animal. 

Q.    It  is  not  a  sentient  animal,  is  it? 

A.  Yes,  sir  ;  but  it  has  no  nerves.  In  the  .young  it  is  very  ac- 
tive. It  has  no  power  of  selecting  its  food,  and  it  is  found 
living  in  localities  where  food  is  provided  for  it.  If  the  food 
is  injurious  the  animal  is  injured,  and  if  the  food  is  healthful 
the  animal  improves.  It  has  many  stomachs,  which  are  only  dis- 
cernible by  the  microscope.  You  can  only  say  it  is  a  very  delicate 
animal. 

Q.   The  Spongilla  Jluvialis,  I  believe,  was  found  last  year? 

A.  That  was  a  mistake  in  the  name.  It  amounts  to  nothing. 
It  was  about  the  same  so  far  as  that  is  concerned.  The  pnly  differ- 
ence that  is  of  any  value  would  be  in  the  habits  and  peculiarities  of 
this  sponge.  I  am  undecided  what  to  call  it.  I  have  two  names 


122  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

under  discussion,  one  is  the  Spongilla  Dawsoni,  and  the  other  the 
Spongilla  pavpercula. 

Q.    What  do  you  mean  by  pauper mla  ? 

A.  It  is  a  name  given  it  by  Bowerbank,  and  is  rather  imagina- 
tive, and  means  nothing  one  way  or  the  other. 

Q.    Do  I  understand  that  this  sponge  lives  upon  algce? 

A.   No,  sir;  it  lives  upon  the  spores  of  the  algce,  if  supplied. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  What  is  the  natural  age  and  duration  of  these 
sponges? 

A.  The  average  duration  is  about  one  season.  They  usually 
die  in  the  latter  part  of  the  summer,  in  my  experience.  But  still 
there  is  a  great  difference  in  different  ponds  and  different  places  as 
to  their  duration.  It  depends,  apparently,  if  I  am  right  in  my 
supposition,  —  and  it  is  wholly  supposition,  —  upon  the  change  of 
temperature.  The  danger,  I  think,  from  the  sponge,  is  wholly  due 
to  the  suddenness  with  which  deca}*  takes  place.  Whether  this 
particular  sponge  is  tougher  than  the  others  or  not,  and  whether  it 
can  stand  more  bad  water,  I  think  is  probable ;  but  after  death  it 
unquestionabty  goes  very  rapidly,  like  all  sponges. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH. — You  saw  the  sponge  last  year  and  tasted 
the  water? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.  You  have  no  doubt  the  taste  in  the  water  was  produced  by 
the  decay  of  the  sponge  ? 

A.   You  mean  in  the  whole  of  the  lake  as  it  came  into  the  city? 

Q.  All  of  the  taste  in  that  water  came  from  Farm  pond,  and 
that  was  the  only  place  where  the  taste  came  from  ? 

A.  I  did  .not  know  whether  you  referred  to  the  taste  of  the 
water  I  experimented  upon,  or  to  the  water  that  came  from  the 
pipes.  I  inferred  that  the  taste  in  the  water  which  I  examined 
was  due  to  the  sponge  very  largely ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  I 
should  not  want  to  commit  myself  to  the  opinion,  without  investi- 
gation, that  the  taste  was  entirely  due  to  that.  I  do  not  think  it 
would  be  fair  to  say  that. 

Q.    I  think  you  would  have  been  led  to  that  conclusion. 

A.  It  is  quite  a  reasonable  conclusion,  because  everything  else 
had  failed  to  account  for  it.  There  was  nothing  to  offer  itself.  It 
seemed  to  me  to  be  very  near  to  the  facts,  as  I  observed  them., 

Q.  Do  you  not  suppose  there  are  sponges  growing  in  Farm 
pond  to-day  ? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.    Why  do  we  not  get  that  taste  to-day? 

A.  I  have  thought  about  that,  and  it  is  a  question  of  quantity. 
A  certain  amount  of  sponge  will  affect  a  considerable  quantity  of 
water;  that  is  the  general  opinion.  I  find  the  best  English  au- 
thority on  sponges,  Bowerbank,  and,  I  think,  Mr.  Carter  also,  who 
is  another  authority,  both  of  them  speak  of  Spongilla  as  capable 
of  affecting  a  large  amount  of  water.  There  seems  to  be  a  general 
opinion  among  the  authorities  that  it  is  so. 

Q.  You  think  sponges  come  into  Lake  Cochituate  one  year  and 
die  the  same  year  ? 

A.   I  should  think  so. 


APPENDIX.  123 

Q.  And  in  some  years  we  find  them  in  the  fall  that  they  die,  and 
they  affect  the  water  at  that  time  ? 

A.  I  think  that  is  the  only  explanation,  so  far  as  theory  is  con- 
cerned. I  have  not  investigated  the  matter  in  such  a  way  as  to 
make  my  opinion  positive. 

Q.   They  cannot  flourish  except  where  food  is  found? 

A.    No,  sir. 

Q.  And  where  algce  and  other  microscopical  food  is  abundant 
the}*  will  grow? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.    And  if  they  die  in  the  fall  you  would  expect  trouble  ? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.    How  do  you  account  for  this  peculiar  taste? 

A.  I  have  not  investigated  that  matter  and  looked  at  all  the 
conditions  ;  consequently  I  cannot  express  a  decided  opinion  ;  but 
my  opinion  would  be  that  the  quantity  in  certain  years  would  not 
be  the  same  as  in  other  years,  as  is  the  case  in  other  animals. 
There  is  a  relation  between  the  food  and  the  animal  which  is  very 
well  understood.  When  the  food  is  abundant  the  animal  is  abun- 
dant. If  the  food  decreases,  or  the  enemies  of  the  animal  become 
abundant,  it  will  be  destroj*ed  or  decreased,  and  when  the  enemies 
die  out,  or  the  food  becomes  abundant,  the  animal  would  increase 
again. 

Dr.  BLAKE. — I  suppose  the  question  of  temperature  would  in- 
fluence it  very  largely? 

A.   Yes,  sir ;  very  largely. 

Q.  And  if  you  had  food  for  the  animal  in  the  summer  you  would 
expect  it  to  increase  ? 

A.  I  cannot  answer  that  question  better  than  by  saying  that 
when  the  conditions  are  otherwise  favorable,  and  the  supply  of  food 
is  abundant,  you  might  expect  a  large  number  of  the  animals. 

Q.    A  hot  summer  would  furnish  those  favorable  conditions? 

A.  Possibly  ;  but  I  do  not  know.  L  do  not  like  to  say  anything 
about  a  particular  thing  unless  I  know,  and  I  do  not  know  that 
a  hot  summer  is  particularly  favorable  to  the  growth  of  these 
sponges. 

Q.  Inasmuch  as  they  die  during  the  cold  weather,  and  grow 
during  the  hot  weather,  the  natural  inference  would  be  that  hot 
weather  is  favorable  for  their  growth,  and  I  think  it  fair  to  infer 
that  their  growth  would  be  rapid  in  a  hot  summer. 

A.   It  may  be. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  In  other  words,  if  the  conditions  are  favora- 
ble to  the  rapid  growth  of  algce,  we  might  expect  the  Spongilla 
afterwards. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Certainly. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  — Prof.  Hyatt,  do  you  agree  to  that? 

A.  The  conditions  are  very  complex  in  all  these  things.  I  like 
to  reason  logically  about  these  matters.  I  should  not  like  to  ex- 
press an  opinion  as  to  whether  a  hot  summer  would  be  favorable  to 
the  growth  of  the  sponge.  That  would  be  a  subject  for  investiga- 
tion and  decision. 

Q.   You  would  expect  that  the  animalculae  would  be  found  in 


124  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

the  same  condition  as  those  which  produce  the  growth  of  algce? 
If  shallow  flowage  and  high  temperature  and  decomposing  vege- 
table matter  are  present,  I  think  3*011  could  logically  expect  to  get 
other  small  microscopic  plants  for  the  sponge  to  feed  upon? 

A.  1  will  put  my  doubts  before  you  in  another  way  and  3*011 
will  see :  In  Maine,  where  the3T  have  rather  short  summers  some- 
times, and  where  the  water  is  extreme!}'  cold,  you  have  these 
sponges  in  great  abundance,  and  of  different  species,  and  they  grow 
rapidly  ;  A*et  the  water  will  be  clear  while  containing  a  great  amount 
of  living  animal  and  vegetable  spores,  as  I  know  by  investigation, 
and  small  microscopic  animals  and  plants.  I  think,  therefore,  we 
could  not  say  that  the  heat  of  the  summer  would  have  anything  to 
do  with  the  abundance  of  these  sponges. 

Q.    Except  so  far  as  it  increases  their  food  ? 

A.  If  there  were  sponge  food  I  think  the  sponge  would  be  very 
abundant,  because  it  seems,  from  1113*  experience  among  the 
sponges  generally,  that  that  is  about  the  turning-point  in  the  favor- 
able conditions.  When  and  where  the  food  is  abundant  they  will 
grow  abundantly,  provided  there  are  proper  places  for  them  to 
grow  upon. 

Q.  You  do  not  happen  to  know  of  any  animal  which  feeds 
upon  the  sponge? 

A.  There  are'a  few  animals  that  eat  the  sponge,  but  the3r  are 
ver3*  few.  I  do  not  know  of  an3T  fresh-water  animal  that  eats  the 
fresh-water  sponge. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Is  it  not  admitted  that  all  these  water-plants  grow 
more  rapidly  in  shallow  flowage,  and  where  you  have  a  compara- 
tive high  temperature  in  the  water? 

A.  That  depends  upon  the  species  of  the  plant  entirely,  and  of 
the  animal,  and  the  temperature  at  which  you  will  find  them  most 
abundant. 

Q.    Do  you  find  them  growing  in  abundance  in  cold  weather? 

A.  In  regard  to  algce  1  cannot  sa3*.  In  regard  to  animals  I  can 
say  positive^*  as  a  rule  the3T  are  not  so  abundant  —  that  is,  fresh- 
water sponges  and  such  animals  —  during  the  winter  as  they  are 
during  the  summer  ;  they  live  only  a  single  season.  Their  method 
of  reproduction  makes  them  wholly  a  summer  animal.  Tlie3T  do 
not  live  through  the  winter  ;  the3r  die  in  the  fall.  They  are  repro- 
duced b3T  a  peculiar  process,  b3T  peculiar  bodies  which  are  not  rep- 
resented in  marine  sponges.  All  fresh-water  sponges  are  provided 
with  peculiar  oval  bodies,  surrounded  by  a  hard  coating  of  chitinous 
matter.  The  sponge  decays,  and  these  seed  bodies  remain  either 
floating  about,  on  the  bottom,  or  else  in  the  mass  of  the  sponge 
itself,  and  in  the  spring  develop  young  sponge. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Do  you  find  these  sponges  in  the  deep  lakes  ? 

A.  I  think  they  do  not  grow  at  an3'  great  depth.  I  have  never 
looked  for  them  in  deep  water.  I  have  always  found  them  in  shal- 
low water. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  — The  growth  of  the  sponge  is  practically  out 
of  an3rbod3T's  control,  so  far  as  I  can  see.  How  are  you  going  to 
help  having  the  sponges  grow  ?  You  cannot  cut  off  their  food,  and 
you  sa3*  they  will  grow  in  abundance  in  beautiful  clear  water? 


APPENDIX.  125 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.  So  that  if  we  found  no  algce  visible,  that  would  not  prevent 
the  sponges  from  flourishing  like  a  green  buy-tree? 

A.    That  is  a  question  that  cannot  be  decided  off-hand. 

Q.  If  3'ou  covered  the  bottom  with  mud,  you  would  not  prevent 
their  growing  there? 

A.  This  SporigiUa  lacustris  is  said  to  grow  right  on  the  mud. 
Mr.  Van  Vleck  said  he  saw  it  growing  on  the  mud.  I  did  not  see  it. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  I  think,  if  he  had  investigated  it,  he  would 
have  found  it  on  stones.  I  looked  at  it  very  carefully,  and  I  was 
not  able  to  find  the  sponge  itself  unless  there  was  something  hard 
for  it  to  grow  upon. 

Prof.  HYATT.  — I  am  glad  to  hear  that.  It  solves  one  difficulty 
that  annoyed  me  very  much.  He  may  have  been  right,  after  all, 
in  this  way :  The  young  sponge  must  have  something  to  settle 
down  upon.  I  do  not  believe  it  is  possible  for  it  to  settle  down  upon 
mud  without  being  choked  to  death.  Then  after  it  gets  to  grow- 
ing it  may  be  possible  for  it  to  grow  down,  or  stretch  down,  and 
be  graduall}'  covered ;  but  wherever  the  mud  grows  it  is  going  to 
kill  the  sponge.  All  the  specimens  that  came  from  there  had  brown 
tips  to  them,  and  I  think  they  had  a  hard  place  to  begin  on ;  that 
the  mud  gradually  accumulated  around  them  and  killed  off  the  base. 
I  did  not  see  it  myself.  I  merely  saw  the  specimens  that  were  said 
to  come  from  mud. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  I  looked  over  it  very  carefully. 

Prof.  HYATT.  — Did  you  go  around  the  pond? 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  I  went  all  around  the  pond,  but,  not  being 
a  scientific  man  in  that  way,  I  did  not  know  how  to  investigate  it ; 
but  I  was  not  able  to  find  any  sponge  there  except  it  had  something 
hard  to  grow  upon.  If  we  found  them  on  the  mud  we  invariably 
found  something  hard  underneath  it. 

Prof.  HYATT.  —  That  is  both  reasonable  and  natural. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  You  will  find  them  on  a  little  stick. 

Prof.  HYATT.  —  That  has  always  been  my  experience,  that  they 
grew  upon  something  hard,  and  I  was  surprised  to  learn  that  they 
grew  upon  mud. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Would  the  sponge  grow  in  water  polluted  by 
sewage? 

Prof.  HYATT.  —  I  should  not  like  to  say  under  what  conditions  it 
would  not  grow.  It  certainly  grew  in  a  very  extraordinary  manner 
in  my  laboratory. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Is  there  any  way  by  which  we  can  restrict  the 
growth  of.  algce  in  our  storage-basins? 

A.  That  is  beyond  my  department  altogether.  It  is  too  compli- 
cated a  problem  for  me  to  express  an  opinion  upon. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  You  are  not  familiar  with  the  habits  of 
algce  ? 

A.  I  do  not  know  enough  about  that  department  to  express  an 
opinion  upon  it. 

Dr.  BLAKE. — Then,  according  to  3'our  belief,  the  only  way  to 
get  rid  of  the  Spongilla  is  by  an  annual  cleaning  of  the  basins,  and 
the  places  upon  which  it  grows  ;  you  cannot  prevent  the  growth  in 


126  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

any  other  wa}r,  and  the  only  way  to  prevent  its  effects  is  to  clear  it 
out  before  it  decays  or  after  ? 

A.  Well,  if  that  annual  cleaning  was  sufficient  to  take  off  the 
germs,  it  would  destroy  the  sponge. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  If  you  could  find  a  bed  of  sponge  and  empty 
upon  it  a  cart-load  of  dirt,  it  would  prevent  the  germs  from  sprout- 
ing? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.    And  you  would  not  have  any  more  of  them  there? 

A.  You  would  have  them  next  year,  but  it  would  not  take  long 
for  the  streams  that  fed  the  pond  to  bring  down  enough  to  repeople 
it  with  sponges.  You  could  not  possibly  clear  the  pond  so  you 
would  not  have  a  crop  of  sponges  every  }Tear. 

Q.  Do  you  suppose  we  have  sponges  growing  all  over  Stony 
brook  and  Sudbury  river? 

A.  I  do  not  know  that  river  and  brook  well  enough  to  say  ;  but 
it  is  probable  that  the}^  are  growing  there.  You  will  find  them 
more  or  less  in  all  fresh  waters. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  We  found  them  in  Basin  1  when  we  drew  the 
water  off  to  repair  the  pipe. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  You  found  them  in  greater  abundance  where  you 
have  rocky  or  stone  bottom  for  the  sponges  to  attach  themselves  to? 

Prof.  HYATT.  —  It  is  a  curious  fact  that  they  grow  in  lakes  with 
mudd}*  bottoms  where  attachments  can  be  made  to  sticks  and  the 
roots  of  trees.  But  the  mud  does  not  affect  them  unless  it  is  stirred 
up.  It  is  nothing  but  a  mechanical  process  of  choking.  They 
would  not  grow  in  a  muddy  stream ;  they  grow  only  in  good,  clear 
water.  After  a  certain  period  in  the  year,  for  instance,  late  in 
the  year,  you  will  find  them  decaying.  1  have  never  seen  these 
sponges  decaying ;  but  I  judge,  from  my  knowledge  of  marine 
sponges,  that  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year  they  decay  very  rapidly. 
I  have  seen  marine  sponges,  immense  beds  of  them  undergoing 
very  rapid  decomposition  under  very  fine  running  water,  part  of  the 
sponge  alive  and  the  rest  of  it  dead.  I  have  seen  occasional  speci- 
mens of  these  green  sponges  in  which  part  of  it  was  alive  and  part 
of  it  undergoing  decomposition.  Those  were  brought  from  Farm 
pond  ;  but  I  had  not  any  occasion  to  see  the  general  decaying  of 
the  sponges  there,  which,  however,  I  have  no  doubt  takes  place  at 
the  proper  season.  I  have  had  some  practical  experience  in  regard 
to  decomposition  and  its  causes.  When  this  matter  arose  I  thought, 
and  since  then  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion,  that  the  capacity  of 
the  sponge  for  quick  decomposition  can  be  accounted  for  by  its 
open  structure.  It  has  a  very  open  structure.  It  is  so  open  and 
porous  that  it  decomposes  throughout  at  once,  and  very  rapidly. 
The  rapidity  of  the  decomposition  of  animal  bodies  is  an  important 
element  in  this  problem. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH. — Is  the  skeleton  of  the  sponge  animal  or  min- 
eral matter? 

A.  It  is  both  animal  and  mineral.  If  I  had  a  slate  or  black- 
board I  could  show  3rou.  The  skeleton  in  the  fresh-water  sponge 
is  made  up  of  minute  spicvles  like  needles,  and  they  are  bound  to- 
gether by  the  tough,  horny  matter  which  surrounds  them.  The 


APPENDIX.  127 

horny  matter  decays  rapidly,  but  not  so  rapidly  as  the  fleshy  part. 
The  spicules  are  largely  mineral. 

Q.  Then  that  mineral  substance  could  not  be  taken  from  algce 
alone  ? 

A.  It  is  silicious.  Of  course  it  comes  from  the  food,  proba- 
blv  in  all  forms ;  but  just  where  it  comes  from  it  is  impossible  to 
say.  I  should  think  more  likely  it  came  from  vegetable  food  ;  very 
likely  that  contains  in  some  cases  considerable  silicious  matter. 
It  might  come  from  animals  and  plants  which  contain  more  or 
less  silicious  matter.  There  are  plenty  of  sources  that  contribute 
such  matter. 

Q.  Is  there  any  mineral  matter  in  the  algce? 
A.  There  is  more  or  less  in  the  covering,  it  is  supposed ;  but  in 
the  spores  I  cannot  say.  The  diatomes  are  a  kind  of  plant  which 
probably  enters  very  largely  into  the  food  of  these  animals,  and 
which  has  a  skeleton  composed  entirely  of  silicious  matter.  At 
the  same  time  I  do  not  wish  to  express  an  opinion  that  the  sponges 
get  their  silicious  matter  from  that  source. 

Q.  The  manners  and  customs  of  the  sponge  do  not  seem  to  be 
very  well  understood  as  yet? 

A.  You  can  see  that  there  is  something  understood.  It  is  about 
as  well  understood  now  as  most  animals  are.  Science  nowada}*s 
has  gone  to  the  extent  of  mapping  out  completely  the  habits  of  but 
very  few  animals.  Even  man  himself  is  not  well  understood,  and 
3'ou  do  not  know  what  to  do  with  him  in  sickness. 

Q.    You  mean  to  sa\'  the  sponge  will  grow  in  rivers  where  the 
food  is  tolerably  abundant,  and  will  reproduce  itself  from  year  to 
year  if  the  water  is  good,  and  if  there  is  sponge  food? 
A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.   And  it  dies  every  year,  and  we  do  not  notice  it  because  it 
does  not  die  in  sufficient  quantities,  and  there  are  not  enough  dying 
to  pollute  the  water  we  drink? 
A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.    And  suppose  we  do  taste  it,  it  has  probably  grown  in  excess 
of  its  usual  quantity  that  year? 
A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q,  And,  if  that  year  the  water  has  been  subject  to  algce,  you 
would  look  upon  that  as  a  primary  cause  of  the  growth  of  the 
sponge,  would  you  not? 

A.  Yes,  sir,  I  should  be  disposed  to.  At  the  same  time  I  should 
add  that  it  is  a  matter  which  is  open  to  investigation  ;  that  it  is 
not  an  opinion  which  is  founded  upon  direct  investigation  ;  it  is  an 
inference. 

Q.    And  you  have  also  known  sponges  to  grow  in  beautiful  clear 
water,  with  no  algce  in  it? 
A.    I  should  not  say  that. 
Q.    No  algce  you  could  see  ? 

A.  The  microscopical  food  would  be  just  as  abundant,  and  you 
could  not  see  it.  I  have  seen  plenty  of  water  that  was  good,  and 
yet  full  of  all  sorts  of  animal  spores.  Sponges  must  be  fed  just  as 
cattle  must  be  put  into  a  certain  kind  of  pasture.  You  cannot  ex- 
pect to  find  butfalo  where  there  is  no  grass. 


128  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  — And  3*011  cannot  expect  the  sponge  where  there  is 
no  algce? 

A.  You  must  remember  that  algoe  are  only  one  part  of  this  food. 
There  are  a  large  number  of  microscopical  animals  which  it  feeds 
upon.  It  is  not  alone  the  plants,  but  the  animals  must  be  reckoned 
in.  We  must  speak  of  both  together. 

Q.  There  must  be  certain  conditions  of  water  favorable  to  the 
growth,  support,  and  development  of  both  algje  and  the  animals 
which  serve  as  a  food  for  the  sponge? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.    Now,  what  are  those  conditions? 

A.  That  I  cannot  answer,  because  I  do  not  know.  I  do  not 
know  what  temperature  is  particularly  favorable  to  the  growth  of 
this  species,  and  it  would  be  impossible  to  ascertain  without  a  great 
deal  of  work. 

Q.  In  a  general  way  a  high  temperature  of  water  is  favorable 
to  the  growth  of  both  those  ? 

A.  I  should  rather  have  some  one  who  knows  something  about 
algce  answer  that.  So  far  as  the  sponge  is  concerned  I  have  al- 
ready said  I  knew  some  species  which  grow  where  I  knew  the  water 
was  very  cold.  It  requires  direct  observation  upon  the  different 
kinds  of  sponges. 

Q.  But  you  have  the  growth  of  different  kinds  of  sponges  more 
marked  in  summer  when  the  temperature  is  high? 

A.    That  is  very  true. 

Q.   Is  it  not  fair  to  infer  that  heat  is  a  factor  in  its  growth? 

A.  You  will  observe  that  a  certain  amount  of  heat  is  favorable 
to  the  growth,  and  a  certain  larger  amount  not  favorable.  If  you 
ask  me  about  the  temperature  for  the  commercial  sponge,  I  Avould 
say  the  most  favorable  conditions  are  between  50°  and  60°.  If  the 
average  of  the  winter  months  is  below  50°,  you  would  have  an  infe- 
rior quality  of  sponges.  If  the  average  went  above  60°  the  same 
result  would  happen,  and  they  would  become  very  coarse.  In  both 
cases  decrease  below  a  certain  average  or  excess  above  a  certain 
average  of  temperature  produce  a  similar  result. 

Q.  But  high  temperature  is  what  we  want  to  get  at.  That  seems 
to  be  necessary  to  develop  growth.  If  a  sponge  reaches  beyond  a 
certain  point,  its  fineness  and  value  for  commercial  purposes  and 
its  quality  are  impaired.  We  are  not  considering  that  commercial 
quality,  but  we  want  to  get  at  the  conditions  which  promote  its 
growth,  and  it  seems  to  me  from  what  you  say  that  high  tempera- 
ture does  that? 

A.  But  you  see  a  certain  amount  of  heat  is  favorable  for  man's 
existence  and  best  development.  If  }"ou  increase  the  temperature 
above  a  certain  point  }rou  afflict  him  ;  if  you  increase  it  above 
another  certain  point  you  kill  him.  With  animals  it  is  the  same. 
Man  is  an  animal.  A  certain  amount  of  heat  is  favorable  to  us, 
and  above  a  certain  amount  is  unfavorable. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Do  you  suppose  it  would  be  possible  to  keep 
the  sponge  right  along  and  not  have  it  die? 

A.  No,  sir ;  a  sponge  is  most  difficult  to  keep  alive.  This  is 
what  excited  my  curiosity  about  the  sponge  1  referred  to  before. 


APPENDIX.  '  129 

I  had  never  seen  a  sponge  that  would  live  under  such  con- 
ditions. 

Q.    It  would  not  be  possible  to  keep  a  pet  sponge? 

A.  Yes,  sir  ;  they  do  keep  them  in  some  aquaria.  I  never  suc- 
ceeded in  keeping  them.  It  requires  very  expensive  machinery. 

Q.    Would  it  be  possible  to  keep  a  sponge  for  a  long  time  alive? 

A.  I  think  it  would  be  very  difficult.  I  think  I  understand  the 
drift  of  your  question,  and  perhaps  I  can  answer  it  in  this  way: 
A  great  man}'  animals  can  be  kept  in  aquaria,  which  under  natural 
conditions  might  die  ;  by  making  the  conditions  which  are  most 
favorable,  conditions  of  heat  and  food,  all  of  which  enter  into  the 
problem,  and  the  size  of  the  thing  it  lives  in,  which  is  also  an 
element,  you  can  keep  an  animal  a  long  time,  which  under  natural 
conditions  would  die  at  the  end  of  the  season. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Do  you  know  of  a  case  of  fresh-water  sponge  be- 
ing injured  by  high  temperature? 

A.    No,  sir. 

Q.  Did  you  ever  know  of  a  commercial  sponge  being  injured  by 
high  temperature? 

A.  Only  by  inference  from  the  correlation  of  all  the  known 
facts. 

Q.  The  sponges  flourish  most  luxuriantly  in  the  tropics.  I  sup- 
pose you  cannot  raise  the  temperature  of  water  above  a  certain 
point,  because  yon  have  no  factor  except  the  sun's  rays. 

A.  Certain  kinds  of  sponges  grow  in  great  abundance  at  the 
north,  and  in  the  deep  sea.  They  will  grow  in  good  water  which 
has  an  average  temperature  of  32°,  and  equally  abundantly  in  the 
water  in  the  tropics.  Then  along  our  northern  shores  they  grow 
abundantly  in  cold  and  warm  weather.  They  are  like  all  animals  : 
some  are  suitable  to  the  tropics,  and  some  are  suitable  to  the  cold 
water  of  the  north. 

Q.  Is  there  any  means  known  to  scientists  by  which  their  growth 
can  be  retarded  except  by  the  removal  of  the  germs? 

A.  No  ;  I  cannot  suggest  any  that  I  know  of  at  all  that  would 
not  be  injurious  to  the  water. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  All  running  water  is  sure  to  have  sponges 
growing  in  it  practically  ? 

A.  Well,  I  should  expect  it.  Nearly  all  brooks  have  places 
where  the  sponges  collect,  and,  at  any  rate,  the  water  flows  into 
ponds  which  have  more  or  less  of  this  in  them,  and  I  should  expect 
it  in  any  series  of  brooks  where  the  conditions  are  favorable. 

Q.  Then  practically  it  comes  to  this,  if  the  city  of  Boston  wants 
water  that  does  not  taste  of  this  sponge  it  must  have  more  than 
one  source  of  supply? 

A.  That  I  cannot  say.  That  is  for  the  city  of  Boston  to  say. 
I  can  only  give  what  little  knowledge  I  have  about  the  matter,  and 
state  the  facts.  All  these  problems  depend  upon  investigation. 
Scientific  men  have  no  powers  of  divination.  They  have  powers 
derived  from  special  training,  as  other  men  derive  their  powers  ;  and 
if  there  is  a  problem  before  them  it  must  be  worked  out ;  they  cannot 
expect  to  look  into  the  future,  and  can  look  but  very  little  into  the 
past.  They  can*  see  only  as  other  men,  and  are  trained  only  for 


130  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

certain  kinds  of  work  ;  it  is  not  a  fair  thing  to  expect  that  they  will 
do  what  it  is  impossible  for  man  to  do. 

Q.    There  is  no  class  of  fish  that  eats  this  sponge? 

A.  None  that  I  know  of.  They  are  remarkably  free  from  ene- 
mies of  that  sort. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  — The  practical  suggestion  you  may  have  to  make, 
so  far  as  you  know,  is  to  remove  the  sponges  when  we  expect  them 
to  decay  ? 

A.  So  far  as  I  know  now  that  would  be  the  recommendation 
which  I  should  give,  with  this  strong  proviso,  that  the  whole  subject 
has  not  been  investigated  and  is  not  understood. 

Q.  In  the  light  of  the  present  condition  of  things,  that  would  be 
the  only  recommendation  you  would  make,  and  you  would  recom- 
mend that  as  a  practical  measure? 

A.  Yes,  sir ;  I  should  make  that  as  a  practical  measure,  if  it  is 
fully  understood,  with  the  proviso  I  mention.  I  would  destroy  the 
sponge  every  time  I  saw  it. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  I  do  not  suppose  that  is  possible.  Take  it  in 
Lake  Cochituate,  these  sponges  must  grow  in  ten  to  fifteen  feet  of 
water.  I  have  seen  them  at  that  depth  myself. 

Prof.  HYATT.  —  When  I  said  deep  water  I  meant  fifty  to  sixty 
feet. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  — I  have  seen  them  d}*ing  there,  and  I  do  not 
think  anybody  could  locate  the  place  where  those  sponges  were 
growing  or  dying  in  ten  to  fifteen  feet  of  water.  That  is,  you 
could  not  locate  them,  or  tell  where  they  were,  and  consequently 
3*ou  could  not  remove  them. 

Dr.  BLAKE. — But  you  can  remove  them  from  the  pipes  and  con- 
duits. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  Yes,  sir. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Do  they  require  fresh  air  and  sunlight  to 
grow?  Would  it  be  possible  for  them  to  grow  in  the  pipes  of 
Boston  ? 

Prof.  HYATT.  —  At  one  time  I  thought  the  conditions  were  such 
that  their  growth  in  the  pipes  would  be  impossible.  But  I  have 
had  two  or  three  facts  come  before  me  to  show  that  the}^  can  possi- 
bly live  in  the  pipes  ;  that  is,  in  dark  places  and  inside  the  pipes  ; 
but  how  far  I  cannot  pretend  to  say. 

Q.  Have  you  any  reason  to  believe  that  they  are  growing  in  the 
pipes  in  Boston  to-day  ? 

A.  I  have  seen  a  statement  to  the  effect  that  they  are  growing 
in  the  pipes,  and  I  have  heard  from  the  City  Engineer  and  others 
that  the}'  have  gathered  them  inside  the  pipes. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  What  the  professor  means  is  what  I  told  him 
the  other  day  :  that  the  conduit  from  the  lake  for  over  a  mile 
was  lined  with  these  sponges,  and  recently,  within  two  weeks,  we 
have  drawn  the  water  out  of  the  Mystic  conduit,  which  has  not 
been  done  for  a  long  time,  and  there  is  a  very  large  growth  of  dif- 
ferent kinds  of  vegetable  matter  there.  I  have  not  seen  the  interior 
myself;  but  my  assistant,  Mr.  Brackett,  who  went  through  the 
conduit,  says  there  are  sponges  in  there  on  that  conduit.  We  have 
never  had  that  taste  in  the  Mystic  water.  It  is  evident  from  the 


APPENDIX.  131 

reports  which  have  been  read  before  this  Commission  that  this 
sponge  has  been  in  Lake  Cochituate  more  or  less  ever  since 
the  water  was  first  introduced  ;  so  I  do  not  think  there  is  any 
question  but  that  it  will  grow  in  the  dark  and  in  the  pipes.  But 
there  is  one  curious  thing  about  it.  The  conduit  is  six  feet  four 
inches  high  and  four  feet  wide,  and  the  pressure  would  be  as  great 
there  as  anywhere,  and  the  current  would  be  stronger  than  any- 
where else. 

Prof.  HYATT. — That  chimes  exactly  with  all  the  observations  I 
have  made.  That  is,  they  seek  a  place  where  the  current  is  rapid, 
and  where  the  water  is  concentrated,  so  as  to  bring  a  large  quantity 
of  food.  At  the  beginning  of  the  conduit,  where  the  water  came 
in,  the}r  would  get  a  greater  concentration  of  food  than  anywhere 
else. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  The  conduit  is  eleven  to  twelve  miles  long, 
and  I  do  not  think  they  find  any  food  in  that  portion  of  it. 

Prof.  HYATT.  —  That  species  is  a  different  thing  from  the  species 
outside.  That  is  what  I  suspected  when  you  told  me,  but  I  did 
not  think  to  ask  about  it.  It  is  probably  a  different  kind  of 
sponge. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  It  looks  just  like  it  except  in  color. 

Prof.  HYATT.  — But  it  is  a  different  species  of  sponge,  and  has  a 
different  form. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  How  many  species  of  sponge  are  there ! 

Prof.  HYATT.  —  I  should  think  there  are  fifteen  or  sixteen  kinds 
of  this  sponge  in  different  parts  of  the  world,  but  only  six  or  eight 
known  in  this  country. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  —  I  have  heard  the  statement  that  after  Prof. 
Kemsen  had  made  his  investigation  and  said  the  taste  in  the 
water  came  from  the  decay  of  the  Spongilla,  Prof.  Gray  remarked 
that  it  was  a  wonder  the  thing  had  not  been  thought  of  before, 
because  twenty-five  years  ago  specimens  of  Spongilla  were  taken 
from  the  Cochituate  conduit,  and  presented  to  Dr.  W}rman,  and  he 
then  said  the  result  would  follow.  Do  you  know  anything  about 
that? 

A.  Yes  :  I  know  that  was  a  statement  made  b}'  Bowerbank.  A 
portion  of  that  same  sponge  went  to  Bowerbank,  of  England,  —  a 
great  authority  on  sponges,  —  and  he  made  several  remarks  about 
it.  But  they  seem  to  have  got  these  sponges  out  of  the  pipes  them- 
selves ;  but  I  did  not  believe  that. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  They  took  them  out  of  the  conduit. 

Prof.  HYATT.  —  I  doubted  it  very  much.  I  could  not  conceive 
of  these  sponges  growing  in  the  pipes.  What  the  engineer  sa}rs 
chimes  in  exactly  with  what  I  have  said  about  the  sponges.  As  I 
have  stated,  in  the  case  of  this  Spongilla  the  species  in  the  con- 
duit is  the  same  probably  as  that  which  grows  on  the  undersides  of 
stones  and  in  dark  places,  and  is  not  the  same  as  the  green 
sponge  growing  outside. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  —  If  the  Water  Board  were  informed,  at  that  time, 
that  such  a  taste  in  the  water  would  follow  from  this  cause,  they 
ought  not  to  have  been  puzzled  in  accounting  for  the  taste,  when 
they  called  upon  Prof.  Remsen  to  investigate  the  matter. 


132  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

A.  Well,  the  managers  of  the  Water  Department  are  not  the 
same  all  the  time.  Their  experience  is  not  the  same  as  that  of  a 
single  man  would  be,  and  the  experience  was  lost  by  new  persons 
coining  into  authority. 

Q.  At  the  time  Prof.  Remsen  made  his  statement  it  was  hailed 
as  something  entirely  new? 

A.    It  was  new  so  far  as  he  was  concerned. 

Q.    But  the  thing  was  known  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  When  Dr.  Jackson  investigated  the  water,  thirty 
}Tears  ago,  they  found  the  sponge,  and  did  not  then  connect  it  with 
the  taste. 

A.  Certainly  the  opinion  was  expressed  b^v  the  spongologists 
about  that  time  ;  but  I  do  not  know  whether  it  was  brought  to  the 
attention  of  the  Water  Board. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  —  I  am  told  on  excellent  authorit}r  that  Prof.  Gray 
expressed  his  surprise  that  the  solution  of  the  problem  by  Prof. 
Remsen  was  considered  as  new. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  It  was  certainly  new  in  City  Hall. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  It  was  certainty  new  in  this  countiy.  If 
there  was  any  such  statement  made  before  1854,  when  we  had  the 
bad  taste  and  when  we  had  Prof.  Jackson  and  Prof.  Gray  examine 
the  water,  and  if  they  knew  it,  they  certainly  failed  to  connect  it 
with  the  taste,  and  it  must  have  been  lost  sight  of. 

Prof.  HYATT.  —  It  seems  to  me  if  a  very  thorough  exploration 
and  testing  of  all  the  different  sources  of  corruption  had  been  carried 
on  3*ear  after  }~ear  steadily,  we  could  have  found  everything,  and 
now  be  able  to  control  the  matter.  I  do  not  wish  to  express  my 
belief  that  every  time  the  water  has  tasted  badly  it  is  due  to  the 
sponge  alone. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Every  time  it  has  had  that  fishy  taste? 

A.  I  do  not  say  that  by  an}^  means.  It  is  entirety  open  to  in- 
vestigation. It  would  be  entirety  unscientific  for  me  to  say  so. 

Q.  If  you  could  take  a  piece  of  that  sponge  and  produce  that 
taste  in  the  water,  you  would  not  have  an}-  hesitation  in  saying  that 
was  the  cause  ? 

A.  And  finding  plenty  of  sponges  in  it.  But  I  would  not  be 
understood  as  stating  that  this  is  exclusively  the  cause. 

Q.    Does  any  other  cause  occur  to  }*ou? 

A.  Well,  sir,  I  should  want  to  investigate  the  place  itself,  and 
should  not  want  to  express  any  opinion  until  I  had  done  so.  The 
whole  thing  is  a  local  affair.  It  is  not  a  thing  you  can  judge  of  by 
knowledge  of  the  world.  It  must  be  judged  by  the  general  place 
and  its  conditions. 

Q.  Do  you  know  any  other  marine  animal  which  would  produce 
that  taste? 

A.  I  think  almost  any  animal  or  vegetable  life  in  abundance 
would  produce  deterioration  in  the  water ;  but  I  do  not  know  any 
other  animal  that  produces  that  peculiar  cucumber  taste.  I  know 
the  sponge  does.  I  do  not  know  whether  algce  do;  thejr  say  they 
do  not.  But  there  is  one  peculiar  thing  about  this  that  has  been 
pointed  out  to  me  by  the  City  Engineer :  that  this  taste  was  ob- 


APPENDIX.  133 

tained  only  at  a  certain  point  in  decomposition  ;  and  that  I  have 
also  noticed  myself.  After  Mr.  Remsen  gave  me  his  vial  I  made 
some  experiments,  and  entirely  failed  to  get  that  taste,  and  I  thought 
he  was  wrong.  But  I  subsequently  got  it  in  the  same  way  the 
City  Engineer  did,  and  when  he  spoke  of  it  this  morning  I  remem- 
bered the  fact. 

Q.  If  you  had  been  called  upon  to  express  your  opinion  as  to 
the  cause  of  this  taste  in  the  water,  would  it  have  occurred  to  you 
that  it  came  from  the  sponges? 

A.  That  is  pretty  hard  to  say.  I  should  not  have  expressed  an 
opinion  until  I  had  gone  through  an  investigation. 

Q.  I  merely  ask  you  in  reference  to  this  being  an  old  dis- 
cover}*. 

A.    I  did  not  know  that.     It  has  come  to  my  knowledge  since. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  I  suppose  there  is  one  thing  you  want  the  profes- 
sor to  state.  I  do  not  think  he  has  expressed  a  very  decided  opin- 
ion about  one  thing,  which  perhaps  he  might  have  a  decided  opin- 
ion about.  That  is,  taking  into  consideration  the  fact  that  these 
sponges  will  grow  at  perhaps  what  he  calls  considerable  depths, 
they  may  grow  and  decay  entirely  unknown  to  those  in  charge  of 
the  water  works,  and  whether  there  is  really  an}'  way  of  being  safe 
from  that  bad  taste  except  by  providing  several  places  from  which 
you  can  draw  the  water?  That  is  perhaps  not  a  scientific  question, 
but  perhaps,  it  is  a  fair  question  to  ask  him,  if  there  is  any  way 
by  which  you  can  tell  whether  they  are  growing  there  so  as  to  clean 
them  out? 

Prof.  HYATT.  — You  can  explore  the  pond  with  rakes,  or  some 
simple  apparatus  like  an  oyster  rake,  and  could  tell  at  once  whether 
there  is  any  growth  upon  the  bottom.  I  should  say  in  regard  to 
cleaning  the  bottom  that  there  is  the  practical  difficulty,  that  you 
may  not  make  the  cleaning  very  thorough.  Another  thing  is,  that 
there  grows  with  this  sponge  another  animal,  to  which  attention  has 
not  as  yet  been  called,  and  which  is  usually  mistaken  for  some  form 
of  sponge,  and  which  under  some  circumstances  might  prove  very 
injurious.  That  is  one  of  the  fresh-water  Bryoza.  It  grows  in 
enormous  masses,  and  is  a  sort  of  jelly  as  big  as  your  head,  or  even 
larger.  I  have  seen  it  as  large  in  diameter  as  that  table,  —  about 
three  feet.  When  they  are  in  that  way  they  are  in  continuous 
masses,  clumped  together.  I  have  not  seen  them  in  the  pond  ;  but 
naturalists  who  have  been  around  the  pond  tell  me  they  are  there, 
and  that  with  the  sponge  was  thrown  up  a  great  quantity  of  the 
Bryoza  when  the  pond  was  cleaned.  It  decays  in  the  same  way 
that  the  sponge  does  in  the  fall,  and  passes  through  the  same 
decomposition,  and  might  be  a  source  of  pollution. 

Mr.  GRKENOUGH.  —  And,  in  the  absence  of  the  sponge,  might 
produce  the  same  taste? 

A.  I  doubt  whether  it  would.  It  is  decaying  animal  matter,  but 
I  do  not  think  it  is  as  offensive  as  the  sponge.  There  is  no  question 
but  that  the  sponge,  when  it  is  decaying,  is  the  most  offensive  of 
all  animals. 

The  CHAIRMAN.  —  You  speak  of  using  a  rake  in  a  deep  pond  to 
see  where  this  sponge  is.  Suppose  it  was  used,  and  killed  a  part 


134  CITY  DOCUMENT  JSTo.  129. 

of  the  sponge,  and  there  was  no  way  to  gather  it  from  the  bottom, 
would  it  not  cause  more  trouble  than  it  would  to  let  it  alone? 

A.  That  is  what  I  referred  to.  The  only  way  is  to  treat  it 
practically  by  trying  the  experiment. 

Q.  The  only  way  would  be  to  have  different  basins,  so  that  you 
could  draw  off  one  and  give  it  a  thorough  cleansing? 

A.  1  have  great  question  about  the  propriety  of  exposing  the 
bottom  of  basins,  without  having  had  any  experience.  If  you 
expose  the  bottom  by  drawing  off  the  water  you  kill  an  immense 
quantity  of  animal  and  vegetable  life  that  would  remain  in  healtlry 
action  if  you  did  not  draw  off  the  water  ;  that  begins  to  decay,  and 
when  you  let  on  the  water  again  you  have  an  immense  quantit}'  of 
decatyed  stuff,  which  is  liable  to  affect  the  water. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  We  do  that  thing  practical  \y  ever}7  year. 

A.  That  is  for  the  engineers  to  decide.  I  am  merely  speaking 
now  as  a  biologist.  It  is  a  question  which  came  up  in  my  mind  as 
you  spoke  about  drawing  the  water  off  from  the  lakes.  Whether 
such  a  result  follows,  or  not,  from  the  facts,  the  engineer  can 
judge. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  The  biologist  would  be  the  one  to  judge,  not  the 
engineer.  You  remove  the  conditions  essential  to  life,  and  death 
follows. 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  ever}^  clanger  you  would  apprehend  from  exposing  the 
bottom  of  the  pond  you  would  expect  to  follow  the  drawing  down 
of  the  storage-basin? 

A.  I  should  say  so.  I  should  sa}r  the  healthiest  water  is  un- 
doubtedly that  in  which  animals  and  plants  are  living  in  equilib- 
rium, in  that  condition  in  which  life  of  both  kinds  is  abundant,  and 
in  the  conditions  which  we  know  to  be  very  favorable. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  And  that  }rou  would  call  good  water? 

Prof.  HYATT.  — That  is  good  water. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  That  is  what  our  people  do  not  think  good 
water. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  I  believe  that  in  an  aquarium  }~ou  do  not  have 
shallow  flowage  or  mud  bottom,  do  you? 

Prof.  HYATT. — No;  but  a  healthful  condition  of  water  is  un- 
doubtedly that  which  supports  life,  and  in  that  respect  it  is  the 
same  as  air.  In  these  artificial  basins  you  have  different  condi- 
tions ;  they  are  not  the  same  as  natural  basins  ;  the  flowage  is  not 
the  same  as  natural  flowage.  If  you  could  produce  natural  con- 
ditions with  a  strong  flow  of  water  you  would  produce  animals  and 
plants,  and  you  would  have  what  would  be  right,  it  seems  to  me. 
It  is  utterly  impossible  to  exclude  life  from  those  basins.  That  is 
out  of  the  question.  It  does  not  make  any  difference  how  much 
cleaning  out  is  done,  they  will  grow  there ;  consequently  the 
problem  is  in  producing  not  too  much  of  one  or  the  other. 

Q.  In  the  preparation  of  the  basins  you  would  empty  them 
entirely  ? 

A.  As  nearly  clean,  to  start  with,  as  possible.  Of  course  I  do 
not  know  anything  about  the  preparation  of  basins,  as  I  am  not  an 
engineer ;  but  certainly  the  best  conditions,  after  the}^  were  filled, 


APPENDIX.  135 

would  be  those  as  nearly  natural  as  possible,  whatever  the  locality 
might  be. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Is  there  anything  else  that  occurs  to  3*011  ? 

A.  No,  sir  ;  but  last  year  it  was  proposed  to  clear  out  all  the  muck 
from  the  pond,  and  it  struck  me  at  the  time  that"  that  would  not 
get  rid  of  the  sponge.  By  cleaning  out  the  muck  you  would  not 
clean  out  the  sponge,  by  any  means. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Aside  from  this  specific  taste  we  are  called  upon 
to  ascertain  is  the  cause  of  the  generally  disagreeable  character  of 
the  water,  without  reference  to  the  cucumber  taste.  Now,  the 
problem  for  this  Commission  to  solve  is,  whether  we  can  devise 
conditions  which  will  make  our  water  purer,  better  tasting,  less 
offensive  to  sight  and  smell  when  heated,  and  to  contain  a  less 
amount  of  solid  matter. 

A.    Yes,  sir.     Do  3*011  wish  me  to  say  what  I  think  about  that? 

Q.  I  would  like  to  have  your  opinion  as  a  scientific  man  upon 
that  question  on  the  general  subject. 

A.  Well,  I  should  say  the  Commission  had  a  question  about  as 
difficult  as  it  is  possible  to  put  before  them,  and  one  which  would 
require  a  great  deal  of  investigation  ;  and  I  should  say  it  is  a  kind 
of  investigation  that  is  not  generall3r  carried  on  in  this  county. 
The  wa\r  foreign  governments  do  such  a  thing  is  to  employ  people 
who  are  qualified  to  carry  on  such  an  investigation  3'ear  after  year. 
They  do  not  expect  to  solve  the  problem  in  a  week,  or  month,  or 
year.  They  cany  it  on  as  a  regular  business,  with  a  fixed  purpose, 
and  they  generally  accomplish  a  great  deal.  Their  habit  is  to 
employ  people,  under  proper  direction,  and  continue  them  year  after 
year.  The  solution  of  that  problem  is  not  done  within  a  given 
time.  I  think  that  any  scientific  man  who  would  undertake  to 
solve  it  in  a  given  time  would  not  understand  his  business. 

Q.  I  suppose  the  Commission  would  be  expected  to  be  able,  by 
inquiring  of  experts,  to  arive  at  the  causes  of  impurities  in  the 
water? 

A.    I  should  not  like  to  be  one  of  the  committee. 

Q.  You  have  not  as  much  faith  in  science  as  the  cit3r  govern- 
ment has? 

A.  1  have  a  great  deal  of  faith  in  stead3',  strong  work,  that  has 
an  object  and  is  properly  conducted;  but  expert  testimony  —  tes- 
timony of  all  kinds —  is  open  to  some  objection.  It  is  given  upon 
general  experience,  and  does  not  apply  to  the  spot  itself,  as  a  rule. 

Mr.  SHEPARD. —  Your  idea  is,  that  before  we  can  expect  to  come 
to  any  solution  of  the  difficult3r  there  must  be  regular  observations 
of  the  water  in  the  various  basins,  continued  for  a  long  time,  —  it 
ma3*  be  for  several  3*ears, —  in  the  accumulation  of  facts? 

A.  I  certainly  think  that  is  the  only  scientific  method.  That  is 
the  only  means  which  I  recongnize  of  obtaining  scientific  testimony 
which  would  be  worth  having. 

Q.  And  those  observations  would  naturally  be  physical,  apply- 
ing to  the  look,  taste,  etc.,  of  the  water  ;  and  that  there  should  also 
be  biological  investigations,  to  show  what  life  is  present  in  the 
water  ? 

A.   Yes,  sir.     A  matter  of  such  importance  as  that  I  have  no  hes- 


136  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

itation  in  saying  that  it  is  not  possible,  and  in  fact  if  is  not  digni- 
fied, for  the  city  of  Boston  to  undertake  to  solve  a  problem  of  such 
importance  as.  this,  where  other  people  as  wise  as  they  have  foiled, 
without  a  thorough,  lengthened  investigation. 

Q.  I  heard  a  physician  suggest  to-day  that  there  ought  to  be  in 
the  employ  of  the  city  of  Boston  some  competent  scientific  man, 
whose  sole  duty  it  should  be  for  two  or  three  years  to  make  obser- 
vations on  the  water ;  and  that  while  it  might  not  be  possible  at  the 
end  of  three  years  to  discover  the  causes  of  the  disagreeable  nature 
of  our  water,  yet  there  would  be  an  accumulation  of  facts  that 
might  be  of  some  advantage  ;  and  that  we  cannot  expect  to  come  to 
any  solution  of  this  problem  until  that  was  done.  Do  1  understand 
you  to  agree  to  that? 

A.  I  endorse  that  heartily.  It  is  the  only  way  to  arrive  at 
a  decent  solution  of  the  scientific  question.  The  examination 
should  be  made  by  a  biologist ;  but  there  should  be  a  plrysicist  also. 
The  matter  should  be  looked  into  from  all  points  of  view.  It  is  im- 
possible to  draw  correct  conclusions  without  having  all  the  light  we 
can  upon  such  difficult  problems.  It  strikes  at  the  very  root  of  till 
our  knowledge  of  animals  and  plants.  It  is  demanding  of  a  scien- 
tific man  the  power  of  divination  to  ask  him  to  express  any  sort  of 
an  opinion  upon  such  a  problem  without  an  investigation  of  all  the 
conditions  relating  to  the  place. 

Q.  It  is  proposed  to  ask  the  State,  at  the  coming  session  of  the 
Legislature,  to  establish  anew  Commission,  with  a  fixed  term  of  office 
for  some  years,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  make  those  observations 
upon  the  water  supply,  within  the  limits  of  the  Commonwealth. 
Suppose  that  is  done,  do  you  still  think  it  would  be  of  sufficient 
value  for  the  cit}T  of  Boston  to  warrant  the  expense  of  having  some 
one  to  make  a  continued  examination  of  our  own  water  supply,  pro- 
vided the  State  do  what  is  expected  ? 

A.  Well,  I  should  think  the  city  and  State  ought  to  cooperate 
together,  but  it  seems  to  me  the  interests  of  the  city  should  be  rep- 
resented full}'. 

Q.  I  understood  that  is  intended.  If  that  Commission  is 
appointed,  it  is  intended  that  they  shall  investigate  all  the 
water  supplies  of  the  large  cities  within  the  limits  of  the  Common- 
wealth. But  their  duties  would  be  very  general  over  the  entire 
State.  Suppose  such  a  Commission  is  appointed,  ought  we  also 
to  have  some  one  to  look  after  our  own  local  supply,  to  make 
these  same  observations? 

A.  That  would  be  entirely  a  practical  question  whether  the  State 
Commission  could  do  all  that  is  necessary  for  the  city  of  Boston. 
It  seems  ver}*  desirable  to  me  that  the  control  of  the  investigation 
should  be  under  one  man,  and  he  selected  with  great  care  ;  not  a 
one-sided  man,  but  one  in  whom  the  community  had  trust,  who 
was  scientific  and  capable  of  judging  of  this  question  from  all 
sides  ;  not  necessarily  a  biologist,  or  any  other  ologist,  but  a  man 
with  a  scientific  education ;  a  man  capable  of  conducting  all  the 
different  investigations  that  have  to  be  made  for  the  determination 
of  the  problem.  So  far  as  Boston  is  concerned,  that  ought  to  be 
carried  out.  Of  course,  if  the  State  or  city  could  both  combine 


APPENDIX.  137 

upon  one  man,  the}-  could  probably  get  a  better  one  than  either 
acting  separately. 

Q.  Suppose  that  you,  as  a  member  of  this  Commission,  in  mak- 
ing your  report  to  the  City  Council,  should  recommend  the  empk>3T- 
ment  of  such  a  person,  and  you.  had  reason  to  expect  that  the  State 
would  appoint  such  a  Commission  as  we  have  spoken  of,  would 
you  then  feel  that  you  wanted  to  recommend  the  city  to  employ 
some  one  else  beside,  or  leave  the  matter  so  that  the  State  would  do 
it  alone  ? 

A.  That  is  a  matter  of  which  I  do  not  see  that  I  realty  have  any 
means  of  judging  properly. 

Q.  What  I  want  to  find  out  is,  whether  the  local  problem  is 
sufficiently  large  and  important  that  it  needs  the  complete  attention 
of  one  person,  or  whether  it  can  be  left  to  the  person  in  charge  of 
the  problem  for  the  entire  State  ? 

A.  That  would  depend  upon  the  State  Commission.  If  the  State 
Commission  were  composed  of  the  right  sort  of  men,  they  might 
possibly  do  it  properly  ;  but  certainly  the  local  interest  of  Boston 
in  this  problem  is  veiy  great  indeed,  and  the  city  cannot  afford  to 
leave  such  a  thing  to  uncertainties.  I  should  take  the  position 
that  the  city  would  have  to  be  sure  that  their  water  supply  would 
be  properly  attended  to  and  investigated.  Yes  ;  so  far  as  the  im- 
portance of  the  local  problem  is  concerned,  I  should  say  the  city 
must  have  an  investigation  of  its  own.  With  such  a  large  place  as 
this,  and  so  many  inhabitants,  they  can  afford  to  trust  to  no  uncer- 
tainties ;  but  whoever  is  employed,  it  seems  to  me,  the  direction  of 
the  work  and  the  collation  of  facts  had  better  be  under  one  head 
in  both  the  case  of  the  State  and  city.  The  experience  gained  by 
a  man  superintending  the  whole  State  would  redound  to  the  advan- 
tage of  the  Commission  of  the  citjr,  in  the  collation  of  the  reports 
of  different  observers.  It  seems  to  me  there  should  be  but  one 
Commission,  however  many  men  you  might  employ  to  look  after 
the  local  interests  of  Boston. 

Adjourned  to  Wednesday,  December  6,  at  3.30  P.M. 


TENTH    HEARING. 

DECEMBER  6,  1882. 

The  Commission  met  at  3.30  o'clock  P.M.  All  present  except 
Mr.  Brad  lee. 

A  conference  was  had  with  City  Solicitor  Bailey,  and  subsequent- 
ly with  the  members  of  the  Boston  Water  Board,  in  regard  to  the 
defects  in  the  law  relating  to  protection  of  water  supplies,  and 
the  practical  efforts  of  the  Board  to  enforce  the  same,  and  the  dif- 
ficulties which  had  been  encountered. 

Adjourned  to  Dec.  #,  at  3.30  P.M, 


138  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 


ELEVENTH  HEARING. 

DECEMBER  8,  1882. 

The  Commission  met  at  3.30  o'clock  P.M.  All  present  except 
Mr.  Bradlee. 

STATEMENT  OF  PROF.  W.  G.  FARLOW,  OF  HARVARD  COLLEGE. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH. —  Prof.  Farlow,  we  would  like  to  hear  your 
opinion  as  to  the  causes  of  the  growth  of  the  weeds  which  infest  our 
water  supply,  and  what,  in  your  judgment,  it  is  possible  for  the  city 
to  do  to  prevent  their  appearance. 

Prof.  FARLOW.  —  I  have  examined  personally  Basin  3,  and  know 
something  about  the  Cochituate  Waterworks  generally.  In  Basin 
3,  and  all  waters  where  there  has  been  bad  odor,  it  has  come  from 
two  or  three  species  of  plants.  The  plants  existed  in  those  locali- 
ties before  the  basins  were  built;  and  by  the  making  of  shallow 
flowage  the  plants  have  been  given  the  best  chance  to  increase, 
and  they  are  increasing  at  such  a  rate  that  they  are  now  found  in 
great  quantities.  The}^  will  cause  little  or  no  disturbance  unless 
the  water  is  very  hot  in  summer,  which  it  is  almost  certain  to  be  in 
August.  The  plants  are  there,  and,  now  that  you  have  got  them, 
you  cannot  get  rid  of  them.  The  plants  were  there  in  the  first  place. 
You  will  find  these  plants  in  almost  any  swamp.  They  do  not  at- 
tract attention  unless  they  give  off  a  bad  odor.  They  do  not  appear 
in  very  large  quantities  unless  you  flood  the  marshes,  and  then 
these  things  collect  as  a  scum.  Before  Basin  3  was  built,  in  all 
probability  there  were  some  places  where  the  plants  appeared  in 
considerable  quantity ;  but  that  was  nothing  to  what  it  is  now. 

Q.   Would  not  the  algce  have  appeared  in  these  ponds  anyway? 

A.  They  were  in  Basin  3.  Flowing  the  meadows  with  water 
would  increase  those  plants.  The  algce  ma}'  be  carried  over  from 
one  basin  to  another,  but  they  do  not  pass  through  the  air  to  any 
great  extent.  They  would  pass  through  a  tunnel  made  to  connect 
one  pond  with  another.  I  do  not  know  whether  there  is  any  direct 
connection  between  Basin  3  and  Lake  Cochituate  ;  if  there  is,  there 
is  no  reason  why  the  same  plant  should  not  appear  on  the  borders 
of  Cochituate. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH. — I  understand  the  same  plant  has  appeared 
on  the  borders  of  Lake  Cochituate. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  I  should  say  it  is  very  nearly  the  same  thing  : 
I  could  not  say  it  is  the  same  thing.  The  algce  in  Basin  1  are  what 
they  call  the  anabcena. 

Prof.  FARLOW.  —  There  are  two,  and  at  times  three,  species, 
which  grow  together  and  are  mixed  up. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  They  have  a  sort  of  a  brownish  color.  The 
algce  that  appeared  in  Lake  Cochituate  are  almost  exactly  the  same 
as  was  in  the  Mystic  ;  they  are  green. 

Prof.    FARLOW. — The}'   are  all  green  in   the  beginning.     The 


APPENDIX.  139 

brown  indicates  decay.  When  they  begin  to  decay  they  become 
blue  and  then  brown. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  There  have  alwaj^s  been  those  algce,  in  Lake 
Cochitnate. 

WITNESS.  —  Have  the}'  never  formed  a  scum? 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  Yes,  they  have  washed  upon  the  shore,  but 
3'ou  would  not  see  them  in  the  form  of  a  scum. 

Prof.  FARLOW.  —  That  would  not  be  so  like,ly  in  Lake  Cochituate, 
because  the  plants  would  be  on  the  shallow  margin.  The  lake  is 
large  enough  so  that  the  water  is  not  likely  to  be  still  for  any  length 
of  time,  and  when  the  wind  blows  with  any  violence  the  algce  would 
disappear.  The  size  of  Lake  Cochituate,  and  the  action  of  the  wind, 
would  keep  it  pretty  clear ;  but  in  a  small  pond  it  would  not. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  They  tell  me  that  Lake  Winnipiseogee  has 
been  filled  with  algce,. 

Prof.  FARLOW.  —  They  have  had  trouble  in  Minneapolis  in  the 
same  way.  Just  as  soon  as  a  city  takes  pond-water  for  drinking 
purposes  people  begin  to  pay  attention  to  the  peculiar  tastes  in  the 
water.  They  have  had  the  same  trouble  in  Minneapolis  that  we 
have  had.  I  do  not  know  how  bad  it  is ;  but  Prof.  Arthur  was 
appointed  to  investigate  it,  and  sent  on  specimens,  which  are  the 
same  as  we  have  with  one  exception.  They  all  belong  to  one 
group  of  plant?. 

Q.  After  }rou  get  a  pond  infested  with  these  things,  how  are 
you  going  to  get  rid  of  them? 

A.  You  cannot  get  rid  of  them.  The  only  remedy  is  in  the 
shape  of  the  ponds  and  the  character  of  the  shores.  A  pond  that 
is  shallow  will  give  growth  to  plants  like  eel-grass.  There  is  a 
number  of  different  species  botanically  related  to  eel-grass  which 
grow  to  be  several  feet  long.  In  shallow  ponds  the}T  rise  to  the 
surface.  Just  as  soon  as  the  water  sinks  these  things  stick  up 
above  the  surface,  and  all  the  smaller  plants  which  give  rise  to  bad 
odors  come  with  them.  In  case  you  have  in  shallow  water  those 
plants  which  in  a  dry  season  stand  up  out  of  the  water,  they  are 
like  nets  to  catch  the  smaller  floating  forms  which  then  cease  to 
grow  and  decay.  In  the  Cochituate  3*011  do  not  have  these  plants 
for  a  good  man}^  reasons,  so  you  are  not  likely  to  have  much  dam- 
age there.  Horn  pond  is  very  shallow,  there  is  a  bar  coming  very 
near  the  surface,  and  in  some  places  you  might  walk  a  good  way 
across  the  pond.  All  over  the  shallow  parts  of  the  pond  you  would 
have  these  pjants  I  mentioned  as  resembling  eel-grass,  botanically 
speaking. 

Q.  What  are  the  conditions  most  conducive  to  the  growth  of 
these  plants? 

A.  Meadow  bottom,  loam  bottom.  I  think  a  loam  bottom  is 
the  worst.  A  gravelly  bottom  is  not  so  likely  to  be  affected  by 
them . 

Q.    Do  they  grow  upon  the  bottom? 

A.  They  start  from -the  bottom.  These  larger  plants  start 
from  the  bottom  and  shoot  up  to  the  top  of  the  water,  and  stay  un- 
til late  in  the  season. 

Q.    They  only  serve  to  assist  the  others  ? 


140  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

A.  Yes,  by  collecting  the  others  and  lifting  them  out  of  the 
water.  If  a  plant  stands  up  just  about  an  inch  above  the  water, 
and  the  water  is  gradually  falling,  and  there  is  a  scum  upon  the 
top  of  the  water,  it  catches  upon  the  meshes  of  these  plants.  This 
makes  the  floating  plants  which  form  the  scum  decay,  and  that 
affects  the  water. 

Q.    The  water  is  sometimes  filled  with  them? 

A.  Yes,  but  unless  they  begin  to  decay  you  do  not  have  any 
noticeable  trouble.  They  do  not  begin  to  decay  unless  exposed  to 
a  verj7  bright  sun.  If  you  keep  the  water  always  high  you  are  not 
so  much  troubled  by  them. 

Q.    But  }'ou  might  not  have  the  water  so  full  of  algce? 

A.  It  is  not  because  you  have  algce  that  you  have  trouble. 
You  may  have  algce  and  not  have  much  trouble.  If  the  water  is 
quite  covered  with  scum  the  chances  are  you  will  have  trouble.  If 
you  have  a  large  body  like  Cochituate  you  cannot  expect  to  have 
much  trouble. 

Q.   The  algce  do  not  appear  spontaneously  in  water? 

A.  They  have  to  be  brought  into  it.  In  case  of  a  new  basin 
that  you  build,  there  is  a  chance  that  the  plants  are  there  in  some 
mud-puddle  or  ditch,  in  the  marsh  which  is  flooded.  In  this  coun- 
try the  scum-forming  plants  extend  as  far  west  as  Minnesota, 
and,  probably,  if  you  examine  you  would  find  them  farther  still. 
The  species  we  have  are  not  peculiar  to  this  country.  They  are 
exactly  the  same  plants  the}'  have  in  Berlin. 

Q.  It  is  practically  impossible  to  prepare  a  basin  where  these 
algce  would  not  appear? 

A.  You  can  prepare  a  basin  so  that  the  bottom  shall  be  much 
less  favorable  to  the  growth  of  these  plants  than  it  otherwise 
would  be. 

Q.    How  do  you  think  a  basin  should  be  prepared  ? 

A.  It  should  have  a  gravelly  bottom,  if  possible.  A  mud  bot- 
tom is  always  bad. 

Q.   Why? 

A.  Because,  in  the  first  place,  the  floating  forms  are  not  always 
on  the  surface  ;  they  start  at  the  bottom.  If  you  go  to  Fresh  pond 
at  this  season  of  the  year,  and  pull  up  the  weeds,  you  will  find  the 
same  scum-forming  plants  that  you  find  at  Framingham.  To  show 
my  class  the  scums,  I  have  only  to  go  up  there  in  the  fall  and  pull 
up  these  weeds.  If  it  is  warm,  the  small  scum-forming  pltints  are 
on  the  top.  In  this  cold  weather  you  will  find  these  plants  on  the 
bottom,  where  they  are  brownish  ;  but  they  will  come  up  to  the  sur- 
face next  spring.  If  you  have  a  mud  bottom  these  plants  are 
more  likely  to  be  there  resting  among  the  remains  of  vegetation. 
If  you  have  a  gravelly  bottom  these  things  do  not  take  hold  so 
well ;  they  have  to  shelter  themselves  in  the  refuse  of  other  plants. 

Q.  Tne}'  do  not  grow  any  more  rapidly  from  being  exposed  to  a 
hot  sun,  but  only  decay  ? 

A.  I  should  say  they  do  not  grow  more  rapidly  from  being  ex- 
posed to  the  hot  sun,  but  they  do  grow  more  rapidly  when  the  tem- 
perature is  raised  up  to  a  certain  point.  They  do  not  increase 
very  rapidly  until  the  July  and  August  temperatures.  You  gener- 


APPENDIX.  141 

ally  find  them  dormant  at  other  seasons.  They  flourish  better  in  a 
high  temperature  than  other  plants.  They  constitute  the  only 
group  of  plants  which  grows  in  the  hot  springs,  as  those  of  the 
West,  or  almost  any  other  part  of  the  world.  There  is  a  certain 
amount  of  vegetation  on  the  margins  of  the  springs,  and  the 
plants  there  are  much  like  those  you  find  here.  That  shows  you 
how  likely  they  are  to  stand  the  heat.  In  spite  of  that  they  are 
killed  by  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun,  particularly  if  raised  out  of 
water  as  they  are  by  being  washed  partly  out  upon  the  beach  and 
exposed  there. 

Q.  The  effect  which  shallow  fluids  would  produce,  then,  would 
be  only  that  other  plants  would  lift  the  scum-forming  plants  out  of 
the  water? 

A.  Yes,  sir,  and  there  is  another  effect.  Of  course  if  you  have 
shallow  water  the  scum  forms.  Suppose  a  given  area  to  be  shal- 
low water,  and  the  scum  forms  on  a  large  percentage  of  it,  the 
water  does  not  purify  itself  so  fast  from  the  decayed  plants,  as  it 
would  in  a  large  depth  of  water.  If  the  bulk  of  the  water  is  very 
large  you  do  not  feel  the  same  effects  as  if  it  were  small,  even 
when  decay  begins.  Water  purifies  itself  very  quickly.  From 
the  time  the  trouble  first  came  to  Horn  pond,  I  watched  it,  and 
found  that  in  a  fortnight  the  water  becam|  quite  clear.  I  tried 
experiments  in  my  laboratory,  by  bringing  jars  of  water  filled 
with  the  scum  plants  from  Framingham  and  Fresh  pond,  shaking 
them  as  little  as  possible.  Of  course,  by  transporting  the  plants, 
they  were  somewhat  injured  ;  but,  except  in  one  case,  that  slime  was 
almost  cleared  up  in  about  three  weeks.  I  have  had  jars  of  water 
with  scum  which  I  kept  without  changing  the  water,  and  I  found 
that  the  scum  disappeared  in  three  weeks.  At  the  bottom  of  the 
jar  I  found  the  remains  of  the  plants,  some  having  been  entirely 
killed,  and  others  ready  to  grow  another  season.  There  was  still 
some  life  left.  I  kept  the  jars  all  winter  in  my  room,  and  in  the 
spring  I  found  the  plants  there  ready  to  grow  again. 

Q.  There  is,  practically,  no  possibility  of  our  eradicating  the 
algae  from  our  basins  in  any  way  ?  • 

A.  All  you  can  do  is  to  let  them  stand  and  purify  themselves. 
Or,  you  can  remove  the  mud  and  clear  the  basins. 

Q.  If  you  remove  the  mud,  what  would  prevent  the  chances  of 
their  appearing  again? 

A.  It  would  diminish  the  chances  of  their  appearing,  but  I  sup- 
pose it  would  be  an  expensive  job. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  I  suppose  the  algce  are  affected  by  shallow  flow- 
age  and  high  temperature? 

A.  Yes,  sir.  From  what  I  have  seen  of  these  plants  the  model 
basin  should  be  deep  and  narrow,  and,  if  possible,  with  gravelly 
banks. 

Q.   Or  stone  sides  ? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.    And  clean  bottom? 

A.  Yes,  sir,  with  even  natural  sides,  and  if  the  water  is  deep  and 
a  steady  current  flows  through  it  would  be  very  favorable.  The 
worst  possible  thing  is  to  overflow  a  marsh.  At  the  time  Basin  3 


142  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

was  built  there  never  had  been  any  talk  about  algce  in  this  country  ; 
and  I  do  not  suppose  anything  was  known  about  them  here. 

Q.  But  I  suppose  we  might  learn  from  the  mistakes  committed 
in  the  preparation  of  the  earlier  basins? 

A.  Yes,  I  should  think  the  experience  was  worth  something.  I 
am  quite  certain  that  a  marsh  should  not  be  overflowed. 

Q.  You  are  quite  certain  experience  shows  that  the  best  way 
to  store  water  is  in  a  basin  from  which  all  organic  vegetable  matter 
has  been  removed  and  to  deepen  the  depth  of  the  water? 

A.  Yes,  I  think  that  is  an  important  thing,  to  increase  the  depth. 
So  far  as  I  recollect,  in  Basin  No.  3  the  great  trouble  comes 
from  the  shallow  places,  the  worst  being  up  towards  Mr.  Temple's 
house. 

Q.  To  what  do  you  attribute  the  comparative  freedom  from  algce, 
of  Wenham  and  other  lakes? 

A.  Wenham  is  a  natural  lake  ;  the  water  is  quite  pure  from  the 
settling  which  has  come  through  time,  and  the  original  purity  of 
th'e  bottom  and  cleanness  of  the  banks  prevents  the  growth  of  vege- 
tation. 

Q.    And  the  depth  ? 

A.  Yes.  I  do  not  think  there  is  any  shallow  place  along  Lake 
Wenham.  It  has  stee^)  banks,  I  believe,  and  that  is  the  model  for 
a  pond.  In  Horn  pond  you  have  a  sufficient  extent  of  water,  but 
you  have  shelving  banks  all  round  it ;  in  one  place  I  know  it  is 
decided!}'  shallow  ;  then  you  have  .this  nearly  bare  bottom  at  one 
end,  possibly  a  third  of  the  pond,  which  is  nothing  more  than  a 
shallow  puddle,  where  all  sorts  of  things  grow,  and  where  the  water 
sinks  to  very  little  depth  in  the  summer. 

Q.  Have  you  investigated  the  storage-basins  in  other  parts  of  the 
State? 

A.  Not  personally.  I  have  had  specimens  sent  me  from  them. 
So  far  as  storage-basins  are  concerned  these  troublesome  plants  are 
as  common  in  remote  localities  as  here.  They  have  the  same  thing 
in  Central  Park,  N.Y.,  particularly  in  those  dirty  liltle  streams 
near  the  reservoir,  and  in  the  reservoir  itself.  There  is  a  little  stream 
of  water  passing  along  under  the  rocks,  just  below  the  reservoir, 
which  I  have  seen  perfectly  full  of  these  same  plants  in  the  month 
of  June. 

Q.    We  have  conditions  favorable  to  these  plants  in  our  basins? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  — Are  not  the  basins  in  Central  Park  prepared 
with  much  more  care  than  our  basins  were? 

A.  I  suppose  the  basins  were  all  made  there  with  care.  There  is 
nothing  like  eel-grass  growing  in  the  reservoir,  but  there  is  a  little 
scum  evidently  washed  in  from  the  Croton  aqueduct.  I  do  not 
think  you  need  anticipate  any  trouble  from  an  artificial  reservoir 
with  steep  walls  and  artificial  bottom. 

Q.  Then  you  would  not  expect  these  plants  in  &ny  artificial 
basin  like  the  Bradlee  basin,  at  Chestnut  Hill? 

A.  No,  sir.  I  remember  the  condition  of  the  land  before  it 
was  built,  and  walked  over  it  several  times  while  it  was  being 


APPENDIX.  143 

built.     There  is  no  very  good  reason  for  expecting  the  growth  of 
the  plants  there,  although  they  might  be  washed  in. 

Q.  Even  if  washed  in,  if  they  did  not  find  proper  conditions  for 
their  development,  they  would  not  develop  much? 

A.    No,  I  should  not  think  they  would. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  What  do  these  things  live  on  ? 

A.  The  nutrition  of  these  plants  has  not  been  satisfactorily 
studied.  They  have  to  live  on  the  water  itself.  They  do  not  get 
any  nourishment  directly  from  the  other  plants.  They  are  not 
parasites. 

Q.   They  do  not  grow  in  pure  water? 

A.  No,  sir ;  the}r  are  more  likely  to  grow  in  water  with  a  rich 
organic  bottom,  and  in  all  probability  they  must  take  the  organic 
substance  up.  They  do  not  grow  so  well,  if  at  all,  in  pure  water. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Would  they  not  grow  better  in  water  holding  a 
large  amount  of  solid  organic  matter  in  solution? 

A.  Yes,  sir.  The  more  organic  matter  you  have,  the  more  of 
these  plants  you  will  be  likely  to  have. 

Q.    What  is  their  process  of  reproduction  ? 

A.  They  keep  budding;  the  common  ones  form  knobs  or  buds, 
and  the  knobs  drop  off  and  keep  producing  new  knobs.  One  of 
our  common  species  produces  reproductive  cells,  called  spores. 

Q.    Something  like  these  plants  ? 

A.  No,  sir.  There  is  something  curious  about  their  reproduc- 
tion. The  spores  are  very  heavy  and  drop  to  the  bottom,  where 
they  remain  a  long  time  without  change.  After  a  while,  for 
months  even,  the}7  will  grow  again.  A  curious  thing  is  that  there 
is  a  parasite  which  affects  the  spores  ;  one  year  it  was  very  abun- 
dant. 

Q.   Is  the  parasite,  in  its  decay,  inoffensive? 

A.  Oh,  yes  ;  it  is  a  very  small  thing.  A  good  thing  about  it  is, 
that  the  parasite  only  attacks  the  spores  ;  it  does  not  attack  the 
other  parts  of  the  plant.  There  are  two  parasites  which  are  known 
-to  attack  the  species  in  question.  One  attacks  the  vegetative  cells, 
and,  of  course,  it  is  not  of  so  much  consequence  ;  but  this  one  we 
have  attacks  the  spores  themselves.  The  parasite  which  attacks 
the  cell,  but  not  the  spores,  has  not  }'et  been  seen  in  this  country. 

Q.  Are  these  particular  ctlgce  we  suffer  from  annuals?  Do  they 
start,  and  grow,  and  decay  in  a  year? 

A.  They  are  not  annuals  in  one  sense.  You  may  have  several 
crops  in  one  year,  and  though  they  eventually  sink  to  the  bottom 
in  the  autumn,  those  that  sink  are  not  generally  the  ones  that  started 
in  the  spring.  Each  budding  constitutes  one  generation,  and  there 
are  several  in  one  year. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  May  one  live  several  3Tears? 

A.  I  should  think,  not.  They  would  bud  so  rapidly  that  long 
before  the  end  of  summer  the  original  plants  would  be  separated 
into  a  number  of  new  plants. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  — •  From  the  taste  of  the  water,  and  its  features 
during  the  past  summer,  do  }TOU  attribute  its  disagreeable  charac- 
ter mainly  to  the  decay  of  this  plant? 

A.   During  last  summer  I  was  awa}',  and  did  not  examine  it  so 


144  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

frequentl}'  as  usual.  I  only  examined  it  very  early  jn  the  season, 
and  did  not  examine  it  in  September  or  August. 

Q.  From  what  3*011  know  of  the  nature  and  distribution  of  the 
plants,  would  you  be  willing  to  say  that  this  was  the  chief  cause  of 
the  trouble  in  the  water? 

A.  I  should  not  say  it  was  the  main  cause,  except  in  warm 
weather.  I  should  sa}r  it  contributed  to  the  trouble. 

Q.  Of  course  I  have  reference  now  to  the  disagreeable  taste 
separate  from  the  specific  taste  due  to  the  decay  of  the  spongilla. 

A.  I  think  that  it  is  possibly  due,  in  part,  to  the  decay  of  vegeta- 
tion. I  do  not  think  it  is  due  alone  to  the  plants  which  pro- 
duce the  pigpen  odor.  I  should  sa3'  that  all  decaying  vegetation 
might  affect  the  taste  of  the  water. 

Q.    What  decaying  vegetation  ? 

A.  Large  masses,  not  exactly  leaves,  because  they  decay  so 
slowly,  but  succulent  plants. 

Q.  And  the  other  varieties  of  plants  which  would  contribute  to 
the  disagreeable  taste  are  also  dependent  upon  the  same  causes  for 
their  growth  ? 

A.  The  other  plants,  as  I  recollect,  are  nothing  more  than  ordi- 
nary water  plants,  which  would  not  be  killed  except  by  some  ex- 
ternal cause  or  contamination  ;  for  instance,  if  anything  of  an  un- 
healtlrv  nature  was  poured  into  the  water,  they  would  be  killed  ;  or, 
if  the  "water  was  suddenly  lowered,  and  they  stuck  up  above  the 
surface.  In  such  cases  the  taste  would  come  only  from  large  quan- 
tities of  the  plants.  A  veiy  large  and  sudden  deca}r  would  cause 
the  taste  ;  but  that  would  be  easily  recognized  if  it  occurred.  I  do 
not  think  there  is  any  taste  that  comes  from  the  decay  of  autumn 
leaves,  except,  possibly,  a  little  bitter  taste,  as  they  decay  very 
slowly. 

Q.  But  lowering  the  water  and  exposing  the  flats  would  fairly 
have  a  tendency  to  cause  deca3'  of  vegetation  ? 

A.  Yes,  sir.  Any  sudden  decaying  would  have  a  tendency  to 
produce  trouble  from  these  nostocs  or  scum  plants  which  produce 
the  pigpen  odor. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  I  should  like  to  ask  you  about  the  Public 
Garden  pond.  Have  .you  examined  that  this  fall? 

A.  Not  this  fall.  I  have  examined  it  very  carefully  before  this. 
It  always  struck  me  that  there  was  a  great  deal  of  humbug  about 
it.  I  had  been  through  the  Garden  and  noticed  the  luxuriant  vege- 
tation, and  had  taken  out  for  my  own  study,  at  Cambridge,  grasses 
and  plants  which  I  wanted  to  examine.  .  I  read  accounts  in  the 
papers  about  there  being  a  sewer  fungus  in  the  pond,  as  if  there 
was  a  great  deal  of  danger  from  it,  and  as  if  a  great  deal  of  it  was 
to  be  found  in  the  pond.  After  one  of  the  strongest  newspaper 
notices  came  to  my  attention  I  examined  the  pond.  I  do  not 
know  what  could  be  meant  by  the  sewer  fungus,  except,  possibly, 
one  species  not  yet  known  in  this  country.  The  plants  growing  in 
that  pond  show  that  there  could  be  by  no  possibility  any  sewer  con- 
tamination. If  there  had  been  any  sewer  contamination  the  plants 
found  there  would  be  quite  different  from  what  they  are.  The 
plants  were  abundant,  and  indicated  the  pure  quality  of  the  water. 


APPENDIX.  145 

Plants  are  a  pretty  sure  indication  of  the  character  of  the  water. 
Take  some  of  the  mud  lands  near  the  Providence  R.R.,  not  far 
from  Roxbury.  You  can  tell  by  the  species  of  plants  that  grow  in 
hollow  places  that  the  water  is  still  brackish,  although  the  hollows 
are  not  affected  by  the  tide. 

Q.    How  is  it  in  the  pond  ? 

A.  In  the  pond  it  is  perfectly  fresh.  If  there  was  sewer  con- 
tamination to  any  extent  these  plants  could  not  have  grown  there. 
The  species  of  plants  which  grow  there  could  not  have  grown  there 
if  there  had  been  sewer  contamination. 

Q.   Would  (ilgce  grow  if  there  is  any  contamination? 

A.  No,  sir ;  not  the  grass-green  algce,  which  are  found  in  the 
pond.  I  brought  in  a  pamphlet,  this  afternoon,  about  the  Berlin 
trouble.  I  suppose  that,  if  there  is  any  species  which  can  prop- 
erly be  called  the  sewer  fungus,  it  must  be  the  species  mentioned 
in  that  book  ;  but  that  does  not  grow  in  the  Public  Garden  pond. 
(The  professor  exhibited  the  book,  and  explained  the  illustrations 
of  specimens  of  various  plants.)  This  is  a  common  form  which 
grows  in  sewers,  and,  possibly,  may  pass  under  the  general  name 
of  sewer  fungus  ;  but  it  is  safe  to  say  that  very  few  people  in 
America  have  heard  of  it.  The  plant  is  microscopic.  The  best 
notion  you  can  get  of  it  is  from  this  last  plate,  which  is  multiplied 
by  five  hundred  and  forty  diameters. 

Q.  What  do  you  think  would  remedy  the  growth  of  plants  in 
the  Public  Garden  pond? 

A.  There  will  always  be  plants  there.  The  only  way  is  to  clean 
them  out,  if  you  have  a  bottom  that  you  can  scrape,  and  let  the 
laborers  go  around  at  different  seasons,  and  rake  it  so  it  will  be 
clear  for  a  certain  time.  No  matter  what  you  do  there  will  be 
some  growth  there. 

Q.    Even  if  the  bottom  is  gravelly  ? 

A.  It  will  be  less  trouble  with  a  gravelly  bottom  ;  but  in  a  pond 
like  that  }TOU  cannot  be  sure  that  it  will  be  free  from  weeds.  I  do  not 
believe  you  can  have  a  crystal  lake  there  ;  it  can  be  a  respectably 
clean  pond,  and  that  is  all.  Some  seasons  it  will  look  after  itself, 
but  in  most  seasons  it  will  have  to  be  scraped  out.  The  same 
plants  occur  along  the  Serpentine  in  London.  You  will  find  the 
same  plants  along  the  banks  there.  But  they  indicate  perfectly 
pure  water. 

Q.  I  suppose,  if  the  bottom  was  covered  with  gravel,  and  the 
water  changed  frequently,  you  would  have  less  trouble  f 

A.  No,  changing  the  water  would  not  affect  it  at  all.  The 
plants  that  grow  in  the  Public  Garden  pond  are  not  at  all  like  the 
ones  with  which  you  have  trouble  in  your  Water  Works.  Here  is 
an  illustration  of  the  plants.  The  one  in  the  Public  Garden  pond 
is  larger  than  this,  but  it  has  the  same  kind  of  reproduction. 
These  plants  can  be  brought  in  at  any  time  by  the  fresh  water  that 
comes  into  the  pond. 

Q.  The  water  being  stagnant  would  increase  the  quantity  of 
vegetation  ? 

A.  We  have  different  species,  dependent  upon  the  rapidity  of 
water ;  the}^  may  be  large  plants  in  rapid  water ;  where  you  have 


146  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

stagnant  water  you  will  have  other  things ;  you  wi|l  have  more 
undesirable  plants,  which  would  be  likely  to  belong  to  the  nostoc 
family.  There  are  no  nostocs  in  the  Public  Garden,  or  merely 
traces  of  them. 

Q.  There  was  an  appearance  in  the  pond  last  summer  as  if 
green  paint  had  been  thrown  into  it.  Would  that  produce  this 
trouble  ? 

A.  If  it  died  it  would.  If  it  grows  up  toward  the  edge,  and  the 
water  falls  off,  it  will  die. 

Q.  The  only  advantage  in  letting  off  the  water  would  be  to  clean 
it  out  and  start  afresh  ? 

A.  Yes,  sir.  Water  which  is  perfectly  clear  to  the  eye  contains 
germs  of  plants.  When  wash  bottles,  used  in  my  laboratory,  are 
filled,  perfectly  clear  water  is  used ;  yet  in  a  few  weeks  a  green 
growth  is  found  on  the  bottom  of  the  bottles  and  they  have  to  be 
cleaned  with  alcohol  or  some  stronger  reagent. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  — Would  any  decided  advantage  follow  from  repeated 
raking  of  the  storage-basins? 

A.  I  should  think  it  would.  I  should  think  it  would  be-  a 
benefit  to  Horn  pond  by  taking  off  the  plants.  There  is  a  prac- 
tical difficulty  in  raking  plants  which  are  two  or  three  feet  high, 
but  they  should  be  cut  down. 

Q.  Then  }'ou  would  advise  the  removal  of  the  projecting  sub- 
stances ? 

A.    Yes,  those  which  come  near  the  surface  and  above  it. 

Q.  80,  if  the  water  was  drawn  down  in  summer  by  reason  of  re- 
quiring its  use  in  the  city,  and  there  had  been  a  large  amount  of 
the  margin  exposed,  }rou  think  the  removal  of  the  loam  and  tak- 
ing off  of  the  matter  would  tend  to  lessen  the  amount  of  those 
plants? 

A.  Yes,  I  think  so.  They  have  practically  tried  removing  the 
plants  in  Cambridge  with  a  very  good  result.  You  may  know  that 
the  anachartSi  a  plant  like  eel-grass,  grows  there.  It  has  overrun 
all  the  water-courses  there.  It  is  in  Fresh  pond,  and  men  are  work- 
ing all  the  time  cleaning  it  up,  and  are  constantly  going  around 
the  pond  from  one  place  to  another.  It  is  thrown  on  the  shore  in 
great  heaps  ;  but  the  quality  of  the  Cambridge  water  is  good.  I 
have  been  surprised  to  find  that  it  has  such  good  quality,  because 
we  have  the  clathrocystis  and  other  scum  plants  there,  and  I  am 
able  to  get  enough  specimens  for  my  own  class  easily.  But  I  am 
inclined  to  think  it  is  owing  to  the  cleaning  out  of  the  pond  so 
often  that  the  water  is  not  bad. 

Q.  You  are  decidedly  of  opinion  that  a  marked  improvement 
would  follow  such  a  course  in  the  storage-basins  of  Boston? 

A.  1  think  it  would  if  the  work  were  thoroughly  done.  In  the 
case  of  the  Public  Garden  pond  I  am  at  loss  to  know  what  the 
cause  of  the  trouble  can  be.  The  sewer  fungus  —  meaning  the 
Berlin  plant — I  am  satisfied  does  not  exist.  If  that  plant  was 
there  to  any  extent  you  could  easily  distinguish  it.  Cementing 
the  bottom  will  not  prevent  a  growth  of  plants.  A  gentleman  in 
the  vicinity  of  Boston  had  an  artificial  pond  where  the  water  was 
tolerably  clear.  He  wanted  to  improve  it,  and  cemented  the  whole 


APPENDIX.  147 

bottom  ;  but  plants  began  to  grow,  and  he  was  obliged  to  clean  it 
at  intervals.  It  was  thoroughly  cemented  ;  but  these  plants  attach 
themselves  to  the  bottom  and  grow  there.  If  there  is  a  deposit 
upon  the  bottom,  it  takes  but  very  little  earth  to  start  the  plants. 
The  advantage  of  cementing  is  that  you  can  scrape  off  what  is  on 
it. 

Mr.  SHEPARD. — Do  you  think  any  advantage  would  come  to 
the  city  from  repeated  observations  made  of  the  water'  for  a  long 
space  of  time,  as  to  its  temperature,  its  color,  its  taste,  and  the 
kind  and  quantity  of  life  in  it? 

A.  Yes,  I  think  there  would  be.  But  that  is  a  thing  from  which 
nothing  directly  of  advantage  could  be  promised.  It  is  on  the 
general  principle  that  if  you  can  know  thoroughly  the  habits  of 
these  things,  you  will  undoubtedly  be  able  to  know  more  about 
the  means  of  removing  them.  But  it  is  only  in  a  general  waty.  It 
would  not  do  to  promise  any  City  Government,  that,  after  so  much 
has  been  spent  for  scientific  investigation,  such  and  such  results 
would  be  reached. 

Q.  As  an  expert  would  you  feel  like  recommending  such  a 
thing  to  be  done? 

A.  As  an  expert  I  should  like  very  much  to  see  it  done.  You 
see  the  indefiniteness  of  the  result  which  you  are  able  to  promise 
in  dealing  with  the  City  Government.  It  is  a  thing  for  a  corpora- 
tion.to  do,  by  the  employment  of  a  scientific  man  connected  with 
a  universit}r,  where  there  is  a  laboratory  for  research.  I  do  not 
see,  however,  why  the  persons  employed  on  the  Water  Works  — 
certainly  those  I  am  conversant  with  —  are  not  competent  to  make 
valuable  observations  about  temperature,  and  all  other  matters,  ex- 
cept minute  details  of  animal  and  vegetable  life. 

Q.  Without  speaking  in  the  interest  of  science,  but  simply  for 
the  quality  of  water,  and  the  improvement  of  the  water  snppl}',  is 
it  a  thing  that,  in  your  opinion,  ought  to  be  done? 

A.  It  is  a  matter  where  dollars  and  cents  should  come  in.  I  do 
not  think  the  city  would  certainly  be  able  to  save  money  by  the 
operation.  It  might  and  it  might  not.  It  probably  would  ;  but  it 
is  a  matter  of  uncertainty,  you  see. 

The  CHAIRMAN. — Would  they  not  in  that  way  come  to  find  out 
some  method  of  stopping  this  trouble? 

A.    I  think  very  likely  they  would. 

Q.    That  would  be  the  object  of  the  investigation,  I  suppose? 

A.  If  the  Cit}T  Government  appropriates  the  money  for  the  in- 
vestigation, of  course  it  would  have  to  extend  over,  a  certain  num- 
ber of  years  before  an}'thing  definite  could  be  done,  and  it  would 
be  in  the  hope  that,  in  some  wa}T  or  other,  the  city  would  be  able  to 
save  just  so  much  money.  But  we  could  not  absolute!}7  promise 
it ;  but  the  probability  is  there  would  be  a  gain. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  —  I  understand  that ;  you  speak  very  guardedly  ; 
but  yet  it  is  something  you  think  much  good  would  be  likely  to 
follow  from  ? 

A.  Yes  ;  but  in  order  to  secure  good  results  it  would  have  to 
continue,  not  for  one  year  from  now,  but  for  a  series  of  years, 
with  constant  observations. 


148  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

Q.  You  noticed  that  my  question  related  to  repeated  observa- 
tions for  several  months.  Perhaps  several  months  was  too  short. 

A.  I  do  not  think  anything  would  be  accomplished  in  less  than 
three  years. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  But  after  three  years  we  should,  under  a  com- 
petent investigator,  learn  the  natural  histonr  of  these  plants  and 
the  sources  of  their  growth,  and  that  would  lead  us,  of  course,  to 
full}'  understand  the  methods  for  their  removal  ? 

A.  Yes,  I  think  so.  To  illustrate :  there  is  one  point  that  has 
never  been  settled,  and  I  suppose  it  would  have  to  be  settled  :  the 
way  these  plants  have  of  sinking  and  rising.  The  engineer,  Mr. 
Ftele\7,  says  the  scum  plants  sink  suddenly  and  rise  again  suddenly. 
I  was  inclined  to  think  they  did  not  sink,  but  I  am  now  inclined 
to  think  they  do  ;  but  why  should  they  sink?  To  know  why  these 
things  should  go  to  the  bottom  when  exposed,  and  why  not  go  to 
the  bottom  when  not  exposed  to  certain  atmospheric  conditions, 
that  is  the  point.  Another  example  of  the  points  to  be  settled  is, 
how  do  these  things  live,  and  do  they  require  an  excess  of  organic 
matter  ? 

Q.  Inasmuch  as  you  do  not  find  them  growing  in  the  same 
state  of  luxuriousness  in  a  water  free  from  organic  matter,  I  think 
it  is  fair  to  concede  that  that  is  essential  to  their  growth? 

A.  Yes,  sir ;  but  one  should  show  just  why  the  organic  matter 
is  needed. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Basins  2  and  3  were  prepared  practically 
in  the  same  way,  yet  Basin  No.  3  is  filled  with  these  things,  and 
Basin  No.  2  is  not. 

A.   I  do  not  know  the  position  of  Basin  No.  2. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  It  is  on  the  other  branch  of  the  river,  and 
there  never  have  been  any  algce  seen  there.  Is  not  that  true,  Mr. 
Wightman  ? 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  Yes,  sir,  it  has  never  been  so  as  to  be  notice- 
able. 

Prof.  FARLOW.  —  When  I  have  been  to  the  basin  it  has  been 
when  algce  were  there,  and  nobody  has  spoken  about  Basin  No.  2. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Basin  No.  2  has  a  mud  bottom  and  sides 
which  are  exposed  in  summer. 

Prof.  FARLOW.  —  What  is  its  position  in  regard  to  Basin  No  3  ? 
Does  Basin  No.  3  lead  into  it? 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  No ;  they  are  on  two  different  branches  of 
the  river.  Basin  No.  1  is  between  them,  the  river  comes  down  and 
Basin  No.  1  is  on  the  apex  of  the  fork. 

A.    I  have  never  been  there  to  see  the  shape  of  the  basin. 

Q.  The  only  difference  is  that  there  is  a  much  larger  flow  of 
water  through  Basin  No.  2. 

A.    That  is  a  very  important  element.     Is  it  not  a  deeper  basin  ? 

Q.  I  believe  it  is  not  so  deep.  But  there  are  probably  more 
flats  exposed  in  Basin  No.  3  than  in  No.  2. 

A.  It  struck  me  that  in  Basin  No.  3  there  is  a  large  amount  of 
flats  exposed.  In  the  centre  it  is  comparatively  deep,  but  on  the 
south  side  there  is  a  large  exposure  of  flats. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  — Basin  No.  2  has  23  per  cent,  of  shallow  flow- 


APPENDIX.  149 

age  and  Basin  No.  3  has  27  per  cent,  of  water  less  than  five  feet 
deep.  There  is  a  very  small  difference  in  the  amount  of  what  we 
call  shallow  flowage. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  All  the  land  is  of  the  same  general  character  as 
Basin  No.  3  ? 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN. — Yes,  the  same. 

"Dr.  BLAKE.  —  And  the  basin  was  not  more  thoroughly  prepared? 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  Yes,  sir. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  —  This  shows  how  hard  it  is  to  give  an  opinion 
until  we  get  at  the  facts. 

Prof .  FARLOW. — Yes,  it  is  much  easier  to  get  specimens  than 
facts. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN. — The  shallows  and  places  where  these  algoe, 
will  grow  are  quite  as  numerous  in  Basin  No.  2  as  they  are  in  Basin 
No.  3. 

Prof.  FARLOW. — Basin  No.  3  is  bad;  but  it  is  nothing  like  as 
bad  as  stated  by  persons  at  Framingham.  The  stories  told  of  in- 
juries done  are  perfectly  preposterous.  The  belief  that  special  dis- 
eases have  been  produced  by  the  growth  of  the  germs  in  the  Water 
Works  is  quite  unwarranted. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Do  you  know  anything  about  the  spongilla; 
or  is  not  that  in  your  line? 

A.  No,  sir.  I  know  the  spongilla  by  sight,  so  that  in  examin- 
ing the  water  I  recognize  it. 

Dr.  BLAKE. — I  suppose  that  even  so  small  a  matter  as  the 
motion  of  the  water  would  influence  the  growth  of  this  nostoc? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.  So  if  you  have  a  strong  current  in  Basin  No.  2,  and  the 
water  is  changed  more  frequently,  it  would  help  to  explain  this 
difference  in  regard  to  algae,  in  the  two  basins  ? 

A.  Yes,  sir;  I  also  think  that  if  Basin  No.  2  is  swept  by  the 
wind  the  water  would  not  be  so  apt  to  be  still,  and  the  scum  would 
disappear. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  The  more  quiet  the  water  the  more  it  would 
grow. 

A.  Yes,  sir,  the  wind  would  break  it  up.  If  I  want  to  get  any 
specimens  in  Cambridge  I  have  to  take  a  still  day.  When  the 
wind  blows  I  cannot  get  any. 

The  Commission  held  a  further  conference  with  City  Solicitor 
Bailey  in  regard  to  the  laws  relating  to  protection  of  water  supplies, 
and  adjourned  subject  to  the  call  of  the  Chairman. 


150  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 


TWELFTH     HEARING. 

BOSTON,  December  27,  1882. 

The  Commission  met  at  4  P.M.  and  held  a  conference  with  E. 
P.  Nettleton  in  regard  to  the  laws  to  prevent  the  pollution  of  water 
supplies. 

Adjourned  for  one  week- 


THIRTEENTH    HEARING. 

WEDNESDAY,  January  3,  1883. 

The  Commission  met  at  4  P.M.,  Alderman  Caldwell,  chairman, 
presiding. 

STATEMENT  OF  MAJOR  GEORGE  W.  DRESSER. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Major,  you  were  in  the  employ  of  the  Cro- 
ton  Water  Department  of  New  York  City  for  some  time? 

A.    Yes,  sir,  for  several  years  ;  I  think  about  four  3"ears. 

Q.    In  what  capacity? 

A.    As  assistant  to  the  chief  engineer. 

Q.  Are  you  familiar  with  the  accumulation  and  storage  of  the 
waters  of  the  Croton  river? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Will  you  show  us  on  the  map  here  where  the  Croton  river 
runs  and  where  the  reservoirs  are  located  ? 

[Witness  explained  the  course  of  the  Croton  river  from  its  source 
in  Putnam  county,  N.Y.,  toward  the  Hudson  river,  and  pointed 
out  the  locations,  as  near  as  possible,  of  the  reservoirs  for  storage.] 

A.  About  eight  miles  from  the  village  of  Sing-Sing  there  is  a 
dam  across  the  Croton  river  which  forms  what  is  known  as  Croton 
lake.  From  that  the  main  aqueduct  corning  to  New  York  City 
takes  the  water  as  far  as  High  bridge.  The  river  extends  up  into 
the  eastern  portion  of  the  State  into  Putnam  county,  where  it  di- 
vides into  several  branches  going  up  into  the  mountains.  Across 
some  of  those  branches  have  been  built  dams,  to  form  what  are 
known  as  the  storage-reservoirs,  the  idea  being  to  keep  these  reser- 
voirs full,  and  when  the  water  gets  low  in  the  river,  so  that  the 
amount  running  to  the  Croton  dam  is  not  sufficient  to  suppty  the 
demands  of  the  aqueduct,  then  these  storage-reservoirs  are  opened 
to  reinforce  the  river  in  a  dry  time.  There  are  other  dams,  which 
have  been  projected  and  contemplated,  which  have  not  yet  been 
built. 

The  CHAIRMAN.  — Do  these  reservoirs  empty  right  into  the  river? 

A.  Yes,  sir.  These  reservoirs  are  formed  by  constructing  dams 
across  the  valley,  and  they  simply  hold  the  water  in  reserve.  As 
the  water  comes  into  them  it  overflows  through  the  waste  weirs. 
Jn  the  preparation  of  these  reservoirs  the  ordinary  method  is  to 


APPENDIX.  151 

simply  clear  the  ground  —  what  is  known  as  grubbing  and  clearing, 
in  a  general  way  —  and  then  let  the  water  in  and  fill  the  basin. 
The  ordinary  practice,  I  think,  is  to  fill  the  reservoir  two  or -three 
times  and  then  let  the  water  go  ;  and  they  consider  it  safe  to  hold 
it.  But  the  water,  after  it  leaves  the  storage-reservoir,  runs  in  the 
open  river  until  it  gets  to  the  Croton  dam,  twenty  miles  below, 
probably  ;  and.  of  course,  all  that  time  it  is  being  tumbled  over  and 
aerated,  and  it  is  very  different  from  what  it  would  be  if  taken 
from  the  reservoirs  and  turned  into  the  s}'stem  of  distributing  pipes. 
The  Croton  water-shed  is  four  hundred  square  miles  in  area.  Upon 
the  supposition  that  you  are  able  to  save  fifty  per  cent,  of  the  water- 
fall, that  would  give  them  four  hundred  millions  of  gallons  a  day  as 
the  average  available  product  from  the  water-shed.  They  are  run- 
ning into  the  city  of  New  York  to-day  about  one  hundred  millions 
of  gallons,  and  when  they  talk  about  an  inexhaustible  supply,  the 
fact  is  they  are  using  about  twenty-five  per  cent,  of  all  the  supply 
they  can  get  from  that  source.  There  is  very  little  trouble  with 
the  water  in  New  York  from  taste  or  any  bad  smell,  or  anything  of 
that  kind.  Occasionally  we  used  to  have  trouble  in  the  spring  of 
the  year,  when  the  first  warm  days  came  on  ;  what  we  call  the  cu- 
cumber taste,  in  the  water ;  it  always  occurred  first  at  points  where 
there  were  dead  ends  in  the  pipes,  for  lack  of  circulation.  This 
was  remedied  by  opening  the  hydrants  in  the  streets  and  blowing 
out  the  water  and  clearing  the  pipes,  — getting  rid  of  the  stagnant 
water.  Then  we  would  not  have  any  more  trouble,  as  a  general  rule , 
until  some  time  in  the  autumn,  when  we  had  warm  da}*s  and  cool 
days.  But  circulation  is  the  great  thing.  The  taking  of  the  water 
from  those  reservoir's,  and  its  tumbling  over  as  it  runs  down  the 
river,  causes  it  to  be  aerated.  In  the  same  way  they  avail  them- 
"selves  of  that  same  thing  as  far  as  possible  in  the  supply  in  Lon- 
don, where  they  pump  their  water  from  the  river  to  the  reservoirs 
along  the  sides  of  the  river,  which  are  the  filtering-basins.  The 
water  is  made  to  come  up  into  the  air  like  a  fountain,  and  rolls 
over  and  becomes  oxygenated.  Then  it  goes  into  the  filtering-beds 
and  is  filtered  and  delivered  from  there  into  the  city.  These  filter- 
ing-beds have  to  be  constantly  changed  ;  you  can  see  them  any  day 
as  you  go  along  on  the  railroads.  They'  are  emptied,  and  you  will 
see  men  carrying  out  a  lot  of  gravel,  and  another  lot  of  men  bring- 
ing in  fresh  gravel.  This  is  necessary  to  get  the  water  clear  for 
use.  The  water  is  frequently  examined  by  examiners,  who  'ana- 
lyze it  regularly,  —  so  many  times  in  a  quarter  or  a  month  ;  but  they 
are  quite  successful  in  getting  water  that  is  reasonably  pure  and 
available  for  domestic  use  by  simply  filtering  through  gravel. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Do  you  know  anything,  Major,  about  the 
New  York  State  law  in  regard  to  protecting  the  purity  of  the  water 
supply  ? 

A.  Yes,  sir  ;  there  is  a  very  strict  law  against  flowing  anything 
into  the  Croton  river  or  reservoir  that  would  be  injurious  to  the  water. 
We  had  some  cases  where  we  prosecuted  people  for  letting  dead 
horses  and  contaminating  things  get  upon  the  banks  of  the  stream. 
The  department  always  had  inspectors  to  watch  for  that. 

Q.    The  law  is  very  short  and  very  strong? 


152  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

A.  Yes,  I  understand  it  is  a  very  strict  law.  They  have  venr 
little  trouble  with  the  water  in  New  York  so  far  as  bad  taste  or 
smell  or  anything  of  that  kind. 

The  CHAIRMAN.  —  Do  you  ever  succeed,, in  getting  convictions 
for  these  offences  ? 

A.  Oh,  yes.  It  is  in  the  country,  and  the  territory  is  very  dif- 
ferent from  what  a  thickly  populated  district  would  be. 

Q.  Is  it  left  to  a  sheriff's  JUIT  for  trial,  or  how  is  the  law  en- 
forced ? 

A.    It  comes  before  the  ordinary  county  court,  I  believe. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH. — I  saw  a  copy  of  the  law  the  other  day. 
The  engineer  of  the  Croton  works  told  me  that  when  there  was  a 
nuisance  they  went  and  smashed  the  thing  up  and  let  the  parties 
sue  the  city  of  New  York.  They  put  the  onus  provendi  on  the 
other  side. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  In  the  preparation  of  your  basins  you  necessarily 
have  a  large  quantit}'  of  shallow  flowage  ? 

A.  Well,  that  depends  upon  the  formation  of  the  ground.  At 
Boyd's  corner  there  is  comparatively  little  shallow  flowage  ;  the 
hills  are  quite  steep,  and  are  mostly  occupied  as  sides  for  the  reser- 
voirs. In  one  reservoir  on  the  eastern  branch  of  the  river  there 
was  more  of  shallow  flowage  than  there  is  on  the  other. 

Q.    Are  you  familiar  with  the  margins  of  the  storage-basins? 

A.  I  conld  not  say  I  am  familiar  with  the  margins  of  the  basins 
on  the  eastern  branch,  because  they  have  been  flooded  since  I  left 
the  department. 

Q.  In  the  basins  with  which  you  are  familiar,  have  you  noticed 
a  rich  growth  of  algce  during  the  hot  weather  along  the  margins  ? 

A.  No,  I  do  not  think  they  have  had  any  trouble  of  that  kind. 
We  sometimes  have  a  green  scum  formed  right  in  the  city  reservoirs. 

Q.  Do  you  think  the  absence  of  this  growth  of  algce  is  due  to 
the  depth  of  the  water  which  you  have  in  }rour  storage-reservoirs? 

A.  No,  I  do  not  know  as  it  could  be  attributed  to  that  entirety. 
I  think  there  is  a  great  benefit  to  the  water  from  its  having  a  long 
distance  to  flow  in  the  natural  bed  of  the  river.  I  think  that  is 
the  whole  secret  of  it. 

Q.  You  might  get  rid  of  a  certain  flavor  and  color  by  thoroughly 
oxygenating  or  aerating  the  water  by  means  of  the  motion  in  its 
exposure  to  the  air ;  would  }'ou  expect  to  get  rid  of  the  taste  of 
mineral  water  by  that  process? 

A.  Well,  I  could  not  say  positively  ;  but  water  certainty  purifies 
itself  rapidly  as  it  runs  along  the  river.  There  is  no  question 
about  that. 

Q.  But  would  }'ou  expect  water  to  get  rid  of  decayed  vegetable 
matter  which  it  held  in  solution  ? 

A.    Certainty. 

Q.    What  is  the  process  ? 

A.    By  depositing  it. 

Q.   But  it  cannot  deposit  it  while  in  motion. 

A.  But  the  motion  is  always  changing  in  velocity,  and  every 
change  of  velocity  has  a  tendency  to  deposit  whatever  is  held  in 
suspension. 


APPENDIX.  153 

Q.  Would  it  not  be  more  likely,  if  perfectly  quiet,  to  deposit 
anything  it  held  in  solution  or  suspension? 

A.   If  it  was  not  flowing  at  all  ? 

Q.   Yes. 

A.  Well,  it  might.  But  you  take  a  running  stream,  and  there 
is  a  frequent  change  in  the  velocity,  and  each  check  in  velocity 
causes  deposits.  That  has  been  shown  in  the  experiments  on  the 
Mississippi  liver  where  the  deposited  matter  is  held  in  suspension. 

Q.  But  when  the  water  holds  mud  or  cla}',  it  is  in  suspension, 
and  not  in  solution.  Now,  what  we  want  to  get  at  is  this  :  whether 
it  is  your  opinion  that  when  water  dissolves  decayed  vegetable 
matter  —  afyce  or  matter  of  any  kind  which  it  takes  up  in  shallow 
flowage  —  that  it  would  clear  itself  of  that  by  this  process  of  motion 
that  you  speak  of? 

A.    I  think  it  would  if  time  enough -was  allowed. 

Q.  Do  you  know  anything  about  the  analyses  of  Croton  water, 
how  man}'  parts  of  solid  matter  it  contains? 

A.  I  do  not  remember  the  figures,  but  I  think  the  Croton  water 
stands  well  up  on  the  list  for  purity. 

Q.  Have  any  measures  been  taken  of  late  years  to  protect  it 
from  contamination  or  pollution? 

A.  Nothing  more  than  the  ordinary  measures  I  spoke  of  in  the 
construction  of  the  reservoirs. 

Q.  In  the  early  history  of  the  Croton  Water  Works  complaints 
were  very  numerous  and  decided  as  to  its  bad  quality? 

A.  Well,  the  analyses  that  have  been  made  from  time  to  time 
since  do  not  seem  to  show  it  to  be  very  bad  water.  It  stands,  I 
think,  about  fourth  or  fifth. 

Q.  In  constructing  these  dams  across  the  arms  or  tributaries  of 
the  river,  of  course  you  expect  the  water  will  overflow  the  banks  of 
the  tributaries,  do  you  not? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.   And  flood  the  land  on  each  side  in  the  reservoir? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Did  you  build  dykes  on  each  side  of  the  stream  to  hold  the 
water  ? 

A.  No,  sir,  we  just  flood  the  land  on  each  side.  I  think  the  dam. 
at  Boyd's  Corner  is  something  like  sixty  to  seventy  feet  high. 

Q.  That  allows  the  water  to  flow  upon  the  banks  on  each  side 
for  a  great  distance? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Have  you.  taken  any  special  pains  to  prepare  the  land  ad- 
jacent? 

A.  No,  sir,  nothing  special,  except  what  we  call  grubbing  and 
clearing,  which  1  have  already  spoken  of. 

Q.  Before  New  York  City  took  the  land  now  used  for  storage 
purposes  was  it  used  for  agricultural  purposes? 

A.  Yes,  I  think  so.  Part  of  it  might  have  been  woodland  ;  but 
the  entire  Croton  basin  is  agricultural  land  ;  a  good  deal  of  it  used 
for  grazing,  and  for  milk  farms. 

Q.  Does  the  city  of  New  York  own  the  land  along  the  margins 
of  these  basins  and  control  it  to  any  extent  ? 


154  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

A.    No,  sir,  it  has  bought  the  land  flowed  ;  that  is4all. 

Q.  So  that  people  living  in  the  neighborhood  drain,  as  it  were, 
into  the  basins,  —  do  they? 

A.  The  ordinary  rainfall  comes  down  on  the  hills,  and  comes  in 
the  streams  into  the  basins.  That  is  the  way  the  storage-basins 
are  filled,  —  from  the  streams. 

Q.  Do  you  take  any  measures  to  prevent  drainage  from  the 
houses  into  the  reservoirs? 

A.   Oh,  no. 

Q.   And  from  the  dairies  and  manufactories? 

A.  Well,  there  are  no  manufactories  up  there,  I  believe.  It  is 
an  agricultural  country.  The  ordinary  drainage  from  a  farm-house 
would  be  purified  after  passing  through  the  soil. 

Q.  Are  there  any  rivulets  or  brooks  that  run  into  these  storage- 
basins  that  are  subject  to  such  contamination  ? 

A.  I  do  not  think  there  are  any.  I  do  not  know  of  an}*.  It  is 
a  sparsely  settled  countr}*. 

Q.  So,  under  the  circumstances,  the  amount  of  house-drainage  is 
small  in  quantity? 

A.  Oh,  anything  of  that  kind  would  be  insignificant  when  com- 
pared to  the  amount  of  water.  If  there  was  anything  of  that  kind, 
the  city  would  acquire  it  and  abolish  it. 

Q.   Are  you  familiar  with  the  source  of  the  Boston  water  supply  ? 

A.  Not  specially.  I  have  passed  by  Lake  Cochituate,  at  Framing- 
ham,  a  great  man}T  times  in  the  course  of  my  life,  but  I  know 
nothing  about  the  Sudbury-river  supply,  and  never  examined  it. 

Q.  If  you  had  evidence  that  the  sewage  of  a  part  of  a  town  was 
running  into  }*our  water  supply,  do  you  think  the  law  of  New  York 
would  be  effective  in  preventing  it? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.   And  you  know  of  such  action  having  been  successfully  taken  ? 

A.  No,  I  do  not  think  there  has  been  a  case  of  that  kind  where 
the  sewage  from  a  town  contaminated  the  water.  If  a  farmer  had 
a  horse  die,  and  he  carted  him  out  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  the 
officers  of  the  Water  Works  would  make  him  remove  it  and  take  it 
away,  because,  although  the  actual  damage  from  it  would  be  very 
small,  still,  if  ai^body  should  come  along  and  see  the  dead  horse 
floating  in  the  Croton  lake,  it  would  make  a  great  hue-and-cry.  It 
is  very  easy  to  excite  the  public  mind  in  regard  to  the  water  supply. 

Q.  Then  3*ou,  as  an  engineer,  are  satisfied  that  the  city  of  New 
York  takes  care  to  protect  its  water  supply  properly? 

A.  Yes,  sir.  It  is  the  business  of  the  Croton  Department  to 
furnish  a  supply  of  "  pure  and  wholesome  water." 

Q.  And  you  have  been  aided  by  the  law  to  accomplish  that 
object? 

A.  Yes,  sir.  The  law  authorizing  the  construction  of  the  works 
contained  a  provision  —  it  was  passed  at  that  time  or  soon  after  — 
giving  the  authorities  power  to  protect  this  stream  from  contamina- 
tion. Such  a  provision  is  absolutely  necessary. 

Q.  As  an  engineer,  what  measures  do  you  consider  necessary  in 
the  preparation  of  storage-basins  ? 

A.   That  would  depend  altogether  upon   the  circumstances  of 


APPENDIX.  155 

each  particular  case.  If  your  storage-basin  was  in  a  thickly  popu- 
lated district,  why,  of  course  you  must  prevent  anything  but  pure 
water,  which  you  supply  to  people,  from  coming  into  it ;  you  must 
cut  off  all  contaminating  sources,  and  you  want  to  have  your 
basins  arranged  in  such  a  way  that  if  it  is  necessary  they  can  be 
cleaned  from  time  to  time.  The  reservoir  at  Forty-second  street, 
in  New  York,  is  what  is  known  as  a  disturbing  reservoir,  and  it  is 
also  to  a  certain  extent  a  settling-basin,  because  the  water  comes 
into  it  and  passes  out.  It  is  built  of  masonry  entirely,  and  its 
sides  are  of  masonry.  I  saw  one  half  of  it  emptied  once  for  the 
purpose  of  making  some  repairs.  I  think  it  had  been  in  use 
twenty  years,  and  I  do  not  think  there  were  six  inches  of  mud  in 
the  water. 

Q.    You  are  in  favor,  then,  of  periodical  cleaning  of  the  basins? 

A.  I  think  the  basins  within  a  city  should  be.  For  instance, 
your  storage-basins  may  be  constructed  in  such  a  way  that  the}'  are 
divided  by  masonry  wall,  and  you  have  practically  two  basins,  and 
3'Oti  can,  if  necessary,  from  time  to  time,  exhaust  one,  and  see 
that  it  is  perfectly  clean,  and  there  is  no  trouble  about  it.  Then, 
too,  that  is  a  good  prevention  against  accident.  You  do  not  have 
all  your  eggs  in  one  basket,  to  use  a  popular  phrase.  A  large  res- 
ervoir may  be  divided  by  a  central  wall  which  comes  to  within  five 
or  six  feet  of  the  top,  so  that,  if  there  is  a  break  on  one  side,  3^011 
are  not  deprived  entirety  of  a  supply  of  water. 

Q.  You  think  a  city  should  have  a  sufficiently  large  number  of 
storage- basins  to  allow  periodical  cleaning? 

A.    Unquestionably. 

Q.  Do  you  consider  that  periodical  cleaning  of  the  basin  is 
absolutely  essential  to  the  purity  of  the  water? 

A.   I  do  not  know  as  it  would  be  absolutely  essential. 

Q.    Well,  beneficial? 

A.  Yes,  sir.  When  you  say  absolutely  essential,  that  is  a 
strong  expression. 

Q.  If  you  found  in  those  storage-basins  that  the  proportion  of 
solid  matter  was  above  what  chemists  consider  good  for  health, 
you  would  consider  it  necessary  to  remove  any  decaying  vegetable 
matter  ? 

A.  Yes,  sir.  I  believe  there  is  great  virtue  in  the  running  of 
water  in  open  streams.  Some  experiments  were  made  recently, — 
I  do  not  know  whether  3*011  saw  them  or  not,  —  by  examinations  of 
the  water  in  the  river  Seine,  and  the  effect  of  sewage  going  through 
there.  The  result  of  those  investigations  certainly  went  to  prove 
that  water  purifies  itself  very  rapidly. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  I  want  to  ask  if  you  agree  with  the  following 
(reading  from  Boston  Medical  and  Surgical  Journal,  Dec.  21, 
1882,  Pro.  Suff.  Dist.  Med.  Soc.,  of  Oct.  28,  1882)  :  — 

Dr.  A.  N.  Blodgett  said  that  he  could  testify  to  the  filthy  condition  of  the 
basins,  as  on  two  occasions  he  had  been  in  the  neighborhood  of  Farm  pond 
when  the  water  had  been  drawn  off,  and  they  had  the  appearance  of  flats  at 
low  tide  filled  with  decaying  vegetable  material,  like  fresh-water  swamps,  and 
certainly  would  lead  one  to  suppose  that  they  contained  everything  considered 
injurious  to  health.  The  area  exposed  was  quite  large,  and  the  water  must 
be  distributed  daily  in  the  city. 


156  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

If  you  had  a  condition  like  that  in  the  Croton  water  supply,  you 
would  consider  it  necessary  to  clean  the  basin,  would  you  not? 

A.  That  would  depend  upon  where  that  basin  was  situated.  If 
it  was  at  the  head  water,  up  in  the  hills,  where  the  water  had  some 
twenty  or  thirty  miles  to  run  before  it  came  into  the  Croton  lake, 
I  do  not  think  it  would  be  so  important  a  matter. 

Q.   But  if  that  water  entered  directly  into  the  conduit? 

A.  It  would  certainly  be  an  advantage  to  the  water  if  that 
basin  was  kept  perfectly  pure  and  clean  ;  there  is  no  doubt  about 
that. 

Q.  And  if  physicians  told  you  they  thought  disease  had  followed 
the  use  of  that  water,  that  would  emphasize  your  opinion  as  to  the 
necessity  of  cleaning  the  basin,  would  it  not? 

A.   I  do  not  think  it  would. 

Q.  Well,  as  an  engineer,  you  would  be  satisfied  that  the  condi- 
tions called  for  cleaning? 

A.  Yes.  But  physicians  are  very  much  like  other  professional 
men  ;  they  are  apt  to  have  special  hobbies,  just  as  engineers  have, 
and  feel  that  they  must  have  a  cause  for  something. 

Q.  But  if  pln'sicians  found  by  chemical  analysis  that  the  water 
contained  30  to  45  or  50  or  70  parts  of  solid  matter,  that  would 
corroborate  their  view? 

A.  Yes,  sir ;  I  think  that  in  cases  where  the  supply  is  a  limited 
one  you  can  very  often  trace  the  origin  of  the  disease. 

Q.  The  point  of  this  testimony  bears  strongly  upon  the  con- 
tamination of  Lake  Cochituate  from  Pegan  brook,  where  the  sew- 
age from  two  thousand  inhabitants  runs  into  our  water  supply. 

A.   And  it  ought  to  be  shut  out. 

Q.  The  law  in  our  State  requires  that  we  shall  be  able  to  demon- 
strate the  impurity  of  the  water  at  the  point  where  the  city  takes 
it,  which  at  present  is  chemically  impossible  ;  nevertheless,  all  sci- 
entific men  are  pretty  well  agreed  that  the  danger  exists,  although 
we  may  be  unable  to  demonstrate  the  fact  by  conclusive  evidence. 

A.  There  is  no  question  but  there  must  be  danger  from  the  in- 
flux of  a  stream  like  the  one  you  speak  of. 

Q.  We  feel  that  the  water  containing  the  sewage  of  a  town  con- 
veys disease,  and  it  is  simply  a  chance  of  those  disease  germs  find- 
ing their  proper  source  in  this  contamination. 

A.  There  is  no  question  but  it  will  contaminate  your  water,  arid 
this  will  increase  with  the  increase  of  population  on  the  stream ; 
but  by  going  a  little  further  up  the  stream  cannot  you  get  evidence 
of  pollution  ? 

Q.  There  is  no  difficulty  about  it.  We  have  seen  the  drainage 
from  a  large  hotel  emptying  into  it. 

A.    I  mean  by  analysis. 

Q.   The  stream  is  filthy  to  look  at. 

A.    Why  cannot  you  prove  it? 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  We  can  prove  it  goes  into  the  lake,  but  we 
cannot  prove  by  analysis  that  the  wrater  is  any  worse  where  the 
city  takes  it,  at  the  other  end  of  the  lake,  than  it  would  be  if  this 
contamination  did  not  flow  into  the  lake. 

A.    But  the  city  must  be  considered  as  taking  the  water  of  that 


APPENDIX.  157 


special  stream  at  the  point  where  it  enters  the  lake,  and  your  law 
ought  to  enable  you  to  deal  with  it  at  that  point  in  a  most  sum- 
mary manner.  The  law  cannot  be  made  too  stringent  for  the  pro- 
tection of  a  city's  water  supply. 

Adjourned  to  Wednesday,  January  10,  at  4  P.M. 


FOURTEENTH    HEARING. 

WEDNESDAY,  January  10,  1883. 
The  Commission  met  at  4  P.M.     All  present. 

STATEMENT  OF  JOSEPH  P.  DAVIS,  Ex-Cnr  ENGINEER  OP  THE 
CITY  OF  BOSTON. 

The  CHAIRMAN.  —  Mr  Davis,  the  Commission  want  to  know 
what  are  your  ideas  in  regard  to  the  method  of  constructing  our 
reservoirs  and  the  pollution  of  our  water  supply.  You  are  pretty 
well  acquainted  with  the  situation  of  the  Sudbury  river  and  all  the 
other  streams.  Please  give  us  your  ideas,  in  a  general  way,  and  the 
Commission  will  ask  any  questions  which  occur  to  the  members. 

A.  Since  I  have  left  Boston  you  have  had  some  special  trouble 
with  the  water,  which,  of  course,  I  know  nothing  about,  except 
what  I  have  seen  in  print.  I  refer  to  the  cucumber  taste  which 
Prof.  Rerasen  discovered  the  cause  of.  I  have  understood  an  at- 
tempt has  been  made  to  connect  that  with  the  soil  in  the  basins  ; 
but  I  do  not  think  there  is  any  connection  between  them.  That  is 
an  impurity  which  occurs  in  all  surface-waters,  and  in  natural  lakes 
to  some  extent.  Even  at  Poughkeepsie,  which  takes  its  supply 
from  the  Hudson  river,  when  the  temperature  of  the  water  gets  up 
to  about  70  they  have  similar  trouble.  As  you  will  see  by  an 
extract  from  a  Baltimore  paper,  which  I  just  handed  to  Mr. 
Greenough,  they  have  recently  had  similar  trouble  there.  I  never 
have  seen  the  Baltimore  water  works ;  but  I  understand  that  they 
take  water  from  what  is  known  as  the  Gunpowder  river,  —  that  they 
put  a  darn  across  it,  and  brought  the  water  into  the  city  in  a  way 
very  similar  to  that  in  which  the  Sudbury-river  water  is  brought 
into  Boston.  But  the  ground  which  is  overflowed  to  form  the 
stornge-basin  is  not  farming  land. — it  is  almost  all  rock,  —  and 
yet  they  have,  apparently,  the  same  trouble  which  you  have  here. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH. — You  were  the  engineer  of  the  city  at  the 
time  the  three  basins  on  the  Sudbury  river  were  constructed  ? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.  How  far,  in  your  judgment,  should  the  Water  Board  have 
gone  beyond  what  they  did  in  taking  out  the  soil  from  those 
basins? 

A.  I  will  tell  you  about  that,  as  far  as  I  can  remember.  There 
was  no  definite  action  taken  by  the  Water  Board.  To  have  taken 
the  soil  out  of  the  basins  entirely  —  not  including  the  muck,  but 
simply  that  which  you  would  call  soil  —  would  have  caused  a  very 
large  expense.  It  would  probably  have  cost  six  or  seven  hun- 


158  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

dred  dollars  an  acre,  and  there  are  between  five  ancUsix  hundred 
acres  in  that  territory.  That  never  was  contemplated.  If  you 
will  refer  to  the  report  of  1875,  yon  will  see  that  the  question  was 
discussed  there.  In  the  original  estimate  there  was  an  allowance 
of  $75,000,  if  I  remember  rightly,  for  taking  soil  out  of  the  basins, 
only  $15,000  or  $20,000  of  which  was  spent.  This  was  not  due 
to  opposition  of  the  Water  Board.  If  I  had  thought  it  was  neces- 
sary to  have  had  it  spent,  I  think  the  Water  Board  would  have 
given  the  necessary  authority.  That  which  we  wanted  specially  to 
remove  was  in  the  upper  part  of  Basin  No.  2,  which  is  the  one  you 
have  had  the  least  trouble  with.  Basin  3  was  considered  to  be  the 
best  basin  by  far,  — first,  because  the  water  of  Stony  brook  was  very 
pure  and  less  .polluted  in  every  way ;  and,  second,  because  it  was 
very  much  deeper,  and  had  bold  shores,  —  and  yet  that  is  the  one  in 
which  there  has  been  the  most  trouble.  One  of  the  reasons  for  not 
spending  it  was  this:  If  you  remember,  after  the  supply  was  taken, 
there  was  a  delay  of  two  years  in  discussion  in  the  City  Govern- 
ment before  we  were  allowed  to  go  on.  The  city  got  into  a  very 
critical  condition  as  to  its  supply  before  the  City  Council  finally 
passed  the  order  authorizing  the  Water  Board  to  take  the  water  of 
the  river  and  complete  the  works,  which  had  been  begun  two  years 
before.  After  we  were  authorized  to  go  on,  we  had  to  get  the  dams 
built  as  soon  as  possible.  The  foundations  were  built  by  days' 
labor,  and  we  employed  from  three  hundred  to  four  hundred  men 
on  them.  I  should  think  that  was  as  many  men  as  could  be  well 
handled  at  that  place.  To  have  undertaken  to  strip  the  soil  from 
those  basins  with  anything  like  thoroughness  would  have  required 
the  employment  of  a  very  large  body  of  men,  which  could  not  have 
been  very  well  handled  there  while  the  other  work  was  in  prog- 
ress. We  made  some  excavations  in  the  upper  part  of  Basin  1  to 
ascertain  the  cost  and  see  what  the  general  effect  would  be ;  but, 
after  viewing  them,  I  concluded,  all  things  considered,  it  would  not 
be  a  judicious  expenditure  of  money.  I  refer  now  to  the  time 
when  the  basins  were  under  construction.  Later  (in  1879),  when 
soil  was  wanted  for  the  Back  Bay  park,  I  urged  the  removal  of 
portions  of  the  soil  from  the  basins. 

Q.  In  other  words,  the  Water  Board  authorized  you  to  go  ahead 
and  expend  the  $75,000  appropriated  for  removing  the  loam  ;  and 
so  far  as  any  responsibility  remains  for  not  taking  out  the  loam, 
that  belongs  to  you  and  not  to  the  Water  Board  ? 

A.  I  do  not  think  that  the  Water  Board  authorized  me  to  spend 
the  money ;  but  would  have  done  so  if  requested.  In  my  judg- 
ment, at  that  time,  the  expenditure  would  not  have  been  judicious. 
Unless  you  were  going  to  spend  an  enormous  sum  there,  in  other 
words,  take  out  all  the  soil,  I  thought  it  would  not  be  of  much  use 
to  spend  $75,000.  I  do  not  want  you  to  understand  that  an  ap- 
propriation was  made  for  that  purpose.  The  City  Government 
made  an  appropriation  each  }*ear  without  stating  exactly  for  what 
purpose  it  was  to  be  spent,  and  in  the  original  estimate  was 
$75,000  for  removing  this  soil. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  —  Suppose  you  had  not  felt  at  that  time  there 
was  great  need  of  water  in  the  city,  and  you  had  had  as  much  time 


APPENDIX.  159 

as  you  needed,  would  you  have  spent  any  part  of  the  money  in 
removing  the  soil? 

A.  I  should  not  have  spent  much.  There  are  many  places  in 
the  bnsins  which  could  be  cleaned  out.  I  supposed  that  the  Water 
Board  would,  and  presume  that  they  now  have  a  force  of  men  up 
there  cleaning,  when  the  basins  are  drawn  down,  the  shallow  places 
where  the  waves  agitate  the  soil  and  where  plants  would  be  likely 
to  grow.  Instead  of  removing  the  soil  from  the  upper  part  of 
Basin  2,  we  built  a  dam,  so  that  the  water  would  not  be  drawn 
down  there  so  low  as  in  other  parts  of  the  basin. 

Mr.  GRE ENOUGH.  — You  consider  the  water  in  it  not  so  good  as 
in  Basin  3  ? 

A.  It  was  so  thought  then,  —  that  Basin  2  would  not  be  so  good 
as  Basin  3. 

Q.  If  you  had  removed  the  loam  from  about  the  shores  of  these 
basins,  it  would  simply  have  been  to  prevent  the  growth  of  these 
plants  when  the  water  was  drawn  down  ? 

A.  Yes  ;  and  prevent  the  waves  from  stirring  it  up.  When  the 
soil  is  once  mixed  with  the  water  it  takes  a  long  while  to  settle 
out. 

Q.    Did  you  not  remove  the  loam  from  the  banks  at  all? 

A.  No,  at  least  to  no  great  extent.  It  was  generally  pasture 
land  on  the  shores,  along  the  water-line ;  the  deep  soil  was  in  the 
bottom  of  the  valle}T. 

Q.  So  what  you  did  was  practically  to  build  the  dam,  cut  out 
the  trees,  and  turn  the  water  in  ? 

A.  That  is  practically  it.  We  cleaned  the  shore  line  to  some 
extent. 

Q.  Suppose  }Tou  were  going  to  build  those  basins  over  again, 
with  the  experience  we  have  had,  what  would  you  do? 

A.  If  you  throw  the  park  question  out  entirely,  and  say  only 
that  you  wanted  the  soil  removed  on  account  of  the  water,  not 
being  aware  that  its  presence  produces  any  serious  effects,  I  should 
not  take  it  out.  I  reported  strongly  in  favor  of  taking  the  soil 
out,  as  it  was  needed  for  park  purposes  ;  but,  without  that,  I  should 
not  take  it  out. 

Q.    None  of  it? 

A.   Except  in  the  shallow  places  of  which  I  have  spoken. 

Q.  Did  you  not  consider  that  the  soil  in  the  shallow  places  was 
likely  to  damage  the  water? 

A.  Yes,  sir ;  but  I  did  not  think  it  worth  while  to  spend  two  or 
three  hundred  thousand  dollars  to  take  it  out.  I  would  like  to  call 
your  attention  to  the  original  report  upon  that  very  question. 

Mr.  BRADLEE.  —  I  suppose  that  at  that  time  you  did  not  imagine 
the  water  would  be  required  to  be  used  so  quick? 

A.  Yes  ;  that  was  the  point.  That  is  where  the  whole  thing  has 
turned.  As  you  will  see  in  the  report,  it  was  supposed  that  the 
Sudbury-river  water  would  be  used  only  for  a  certain  number  of 
months  in  each  }rear,  —  that  there  would  be  some  attempt  on  the 
part  of  the  city  to  restrain  the  use  of  water.  In  the  first  place 
we  were  not  allowed  to  commence  building  the  works  until  some- 
thing like  two  years  from  the  time  we  expected  to  commence  them. 


160  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

Q.  If  you  had  expected  to  use  the  water  in  those  basins  at  once, 
would  you  have  ordered  them  stripped? 

A.  It  is  difficult  to  s.iy  at  this  time  what  I  would  have  done 
some  years  ago.  I  might  have  stripped  the  soil  down  to  seven  or 
eight  i'eet  below  the  high-water  line  had  I  known  that  the  full  ca- 
pacity of  the  basins  would  be  required  at  the  outset.  It  has  been 
necessaiy  to  draw  the  water  level  down  several  feet  each  summer, 
thus  exposing  to  the  air  and  sun  large  areas  of  the  unstripped  sur- 
faces. Speaking  of  these  basins,  the  original  report  says  (read- 
ing City  Doc.  21),  of  1873,  pp.  34  and  35)  :  — 

To  secure  the  estimated  supply  of  forty  million  gallons  per  day,  seven  new 
storage  reservoirs  or  basins  are  required,  as  has  been  before  demonstrated. 
It  will  be  many  years  before  such  a  supply  is  needed.  For  a  while  the  Sud- 
bury  water  will  be  used  for  short  periods  in  each  year  only,  to  tide  over  the 
times  when  there  is  a  deficiency  or  some  temporary  impurity  in  the  Cochituate 
supply. 

It  is  proposed  to  build  now  the  three  lower  basins,  marked  I.,  II.,  and  III., 
on  the  plan,  and  leave  the  others  to  be  constructed  as  they  shall  be  wanted. 
These  three  basins  have,  in  connection  with  Farm  pond,  a  storage  capacity 
of  273,000,000  cubic  feet,  and  are  adequate  for  a  daily  supply  of  about  twenty 
million  gallons.  So  large  a  capacity  is  not  needed  at  first,  but  the  position  of 
the  reservoirs  is  such  as  to  require  that  they  all  be  constructed  at  one  time, 
and,  moreover,  they  are  necessary  for  the  proper  purification  of  the  water, 
no  matter  how  small  may  be  the  supply  used. 

The  Whitehall  reservoir  is  already  built,  and  would  require  but  a  small  ex- 
penditure for  work  to  place  it  in  a  serviceable  condition.  Whether  the  city 
should  now  take  possession  of  it,  or  wait  till  its  use  becomes  indispensable,  is 
a  question  that  involves  a  variety  of  points,  some  of  which  do  not  come  within 
the  engineer's  province  to  decide. 

On  account  of  the  value  of  the  land  flowed,  and  other  private  interests  de- 
stroyed, the  character  and  magnitude  of  the  dams  required,  and  the  cost  of 
raising  and  protecting  town-roads,  and  railroads,  the  cost  of  Basins  Nos.  I., 
II.,  and  III.,  will  be  comparatively  large.  Basin  II.  flows  out  two  mill  privileges 
of  considerable  value.  No.  III.  includes  within  its  boundary  an  extensive 
swamp  now  covered  witli  a  heavy  growth  of  wood,  and  they  all  flow  large 
tracts  of  meadow-land,  supporting  a  rich  vegetation  which  it  is  desirable  to 
have  removed  by  grubbing  and  excavation,  as  it  will  otherwise  have  to  be 
gotton  rid  of  by  decomposition.  The  cost  of  this  class  of  work  will,  however, 
be  so  great  as  to  limit  its  application  to  small  areas  where  the  most  benefit 
will  be  produced,  such  as  that  in  the  upper  part  of  Basin  No.  II.  The  vegeta- 
ble matter  upon  other  tracts  must  await  the  slower  processes  of  chemical 
change,  in  undergoing  which  it  will  be  apt,  at  first  (especially  in  the  sum- 
mer months),  to  deteriorate  the  water. 

This  action  will  in  part  or  wholly  cease  after  a  while,  and  the  basins  will 
slowly  assume  the  character  of  natural  ponds  and  lakes.  As  it  is  desirable 
that  such  conditions  shall  prevail  before  the  city  is  largely  dependent  upon 
the  Sudbury  water  for  its  supply,  it  is  important  that  the  construction  of  the 
basins  be  commenced  at  an  early  day.  It  will  probably  require  three  seasons, 
at  the  best,  to  put  them  in  readiness  for  use. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  —  How  long,  in  your  opinion,  does  it  require  be- 
fore the  basins  will  be  in  the  condition  of  natural  ponds? 

A.  What  was  meant  by  that  expression  was,  that  the  shore 
lines,  the  parts  that  form  the  slopes  of  the  shores,  would  become 
clean  gravel.  That  is  caused  by  the  beating  of  the  waves  on  the 
shore  and  washing  the  soil  down  the  slopes.  I  have  not  been  out 
on  the  basins  for  three  years  or  more ;  but  I  should  think  that  that 
action  must  have  already  taken  place  to  a  great  extent.  I  suppose 
Mr.  Wightman  knows  about  that. 


APPENDIX.  161 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN. — Where  the  slope  is  steep  it  takes  place  in 
about  two  years  ;  but  where  it  is  flat  it  takes  longer.  Basin  2  is 
practically  in  that  condition  now. 

Mr.  DAVIS.  —  The  whole  theory  at  that  time,  when  this  report 
was  made,  was  that  the  city  had,  in  Lake  Cochituate,  almost  the 
quantity  of  water  it  needed,  and  that  we  had  plenty  of  time  to 
build  the  Sudbnry  works  and  let  nature  take  care  of  this  question 
of  soil.  If  I  had  known  to  what  extent  those  basins  were  to  be 
used,  it  is  possible  that  I  would  have  had  the  slopes  stripped  of  the 
soil.  But,  to  prevent  the  water  from  taking  up  organic  matter  in 
the  basins,  the  soil  should  be  taken  from  the  vallejr  bottom  itself. 
In  other  words,  it  meant  railroad  work,  —  laying  tracks  and  put- 
ting on  cars  and  engines.  We  could  not  have  got  horses  and  carts 
enough  to  get  it  out  in  any  reasonable  time.  It  involved  the  doing 
of  this  work  besides  the  building  of  the  dams,  and  would  have 
delayed  the  work  upon  them. 

Mr.  GREEXOUGH.  —  You  did  not  think  it  of  enough  importance 
to  go  on  with  ? 

A.  No,  sir ;  a.nd  I  do  not  now  think  that  the  city  of  Boston 
would  be  justified  in  spending  the  amount  of  money  that  would  be 
required  to  take  the  bottom  soil  out,  except  in  so  far  as  it  is  needed 
for  use  on  the  parks.  It  could  be  better  expended  in  other  direc- 
tions. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  —  Then  it  is  the  expense  that  3-011  look  at? 

A.  Yes,  sir.  I  do  not  think  the  quality  of  your  water  would 
be  enough  improved  to  pay  for  that  expense. 

Mr.  GREENOUGII.  — Supposing  that  experiments  showed  that  the 
water  which  came  into  those  basins  took  up  a  very  considerable 
quantity  of  vegetable  matter  and  held  it  in  solution,  how  would  you 
expect  to  avoid  that  except  by  taking  the  soil  from  your  basins,  so 
as  to  render  the  water  not  deleterious  to  health? 

A.  I  do  not  know  that  experiments  have  proved  your  last 
proposition. 

Q.  Well,  all  the  chemical  evidence  we  have  had  here  has  been  to 
that  effect.  All  the  medical  societies  here  in  Boston  have  me- 
morialized us  to  the  effect  that  the  water  is  not  in  a  good  condition 
for  health. 

A.  I  do  not  know  any  facts  to  show  that  the  presence  of  the  soil 
is  deleterious  to  health.  If  it  is  dangerous  to  health,  the  expendi- 
ture would  be  justified.  Deleterious  has  various  shades  of  meaning. 
If  it  is  dangerous  to  health  you  are  justified  in  spending  any 
amount  of  money  to  take  it  out.  But  I  do  not  know  of  any 
evidence  that  will  go  to  prove  that. 

Dr.  BLAKE. —  If  you  found  the  water  inside  the  dam  containing 
a  very  much  larger  number  of  parts  of  solid  matter  in  solution  than 
is  good  for  the  health  of  those  who  drink  it,  and  that  it  would  be 
likely  to  affect  health  in  hot  weather,  what  would  you  say  to  that? 
If  medical  testimony  concurred  in  the  expression  of  that  opinion,  — 
that  the  using  of  water  containing  a  large  amount  of  solid  matter 
in  hot  weather,  at  a  time  when  such  diseases  as  diarrhoea,  irritation 
of  the  bowels,  etc.,  prevailed  in  the  city  —  what  would  you  say  to 
that? 


162  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

A.   Will  you  allow  me  to  ask  a  question  before  I  answer  that? 

Q.    Certainly. 

A.  I  think  I  know  of  the  series  of  experiments  3*011  refer  to,  and 
you  will  see  that  in  the  1873  report  I  stated  that  the  water  in  the 
basins  is  going  to  take  up  a  great  deal  of  organic  matter.  But  in 
order  to  arrive  at  a  solution  of  the  question  I  should  want  to  know 
what  is  the  qualit}*  of  the  water  when  it  enters  the  pipes  here  in 
the  city.  It  is  turned  into  a  conduit  from  the  river,  thence  taken 
to  Chestnut-hill  reservoir  or  the  Brookline  reservoir,  and  there 
allowed  to  settle.  The  comparison  should  be  between  the  water 
before  it  is  allowed  to  enter  those  basins  and  as  it  is  delivered  in 
the  city. 

Q.   But  in  passing  it  is  not  exposed  to  the  air. 

A.  It  is  not  exposed  to  the  sunlight,  but  is  exposed  to  the  air. 
The  conduit  is  not  run  more  than  half  full. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  But  it  is  not  oxygenated,  and  consequently  it  is 
deprived  of  the  beneficial  effect  of  close  communication  with  the 
air. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH. — Those  experiments  made  by  Prof.  Wood 
were  with  water  taken  from  the  basins  and  from  faucets  here  in  the 
city,  were  they  not? 

Mr.  DAVIS.  —  There  were  some  analyses  of  that  kind  made  at  the 
time  when  we  were  turning  the  water  into  Lake  Cochituate  in  1872. 
The  water  of  Sudbury  river  showed  a  quite  large  proportion  of 
organic  matter,  and  the  water  of  Lake  Cochituate  was  shown  to  be 
in  a  much  purer  condition.  (See  City  Doc.  No.  29,  1873,  page 
32.)  1  have  no  doubt  it  cannot  be  otherwise  than  that  water  poured 
into  those  basins  would  take  up  a  good  deal  of  organic  matter. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  By  excavating  the  basins,  would  you  not  avoid 
that  additional  amount  of  organic  matter? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Well,  do  you  not  consider  that  the  avoidance  of  a  source 
of  pollution  of  that  kind  would  justify  a  reasonable  expense,  par- 
ticulnrly  where  you  have  this  annual  clamor  in  hot  weather  as  to 
the  disagreeable  condition  of  the  water? 

A.  Well,  at  that  time  we  had  no  such  question  to  decide.  The 
clamor  had  not  come,  and  we  did  not  anticipate  anything  like  the 
trouble  that  has  occurred.  We  did  not  expect  this  growth  of  algce 
or  this  cucumber  taste.  I  do  not  think  the  soil  has  anything  what- 
ever to  do  with  those  two  things.  But  this  dark  color,  which 
chemical  analysts  shows  to  be  due  to  organic  matter,  comes  largely 
from  the  soil  and  vegetation  in  those  basins  ;  there  is  no  doubt  about 
that.  Now,  as  I  have  said,  I  have  not  seen  any  evidence  that  that 
has  any  serious  effect  upon  health.  I  have  no  doubt  that,  when 
the  water  had  that  cucumber  taste,  it  had  an  effect  upon  health 
through  the  imagination,  if  in  no  other  way.  But  I  never  sup- 
posed the  soil  had  anything  to  do  with  it. 

Q.  We  did  not  suppose  the  soil  had  anjTthing  to  do  with  that ; 
but  we  supposd  it  had  something  to  do  with  the  nauseous  taste 
last  fall,  which  has  caused  the  chief  outcry  and  clamor  against  the 
condition  of  the  water. 

A.    Well,  I  was  on  here  once  or  twice  during  the  summer,  and  a 


APPENDIX.  163 

number  of  times  after  the  first  of  September,  and  I  did  not  see, 
and  do  not  now  see,  that  there  is  much  difference  between  your 
water  and  the  Croton,  except  that  it  has  a  somewhat  deeper  color. 

Mr.  (JREENOUGH. —  In  other  words,  Mr.  Davis,  your  position  is, 
that,  although  it  might  be  a  good  thing  to  take  out  that  loam,  it 
would  cost  so  much  the  city  would  not  get  the  worth  of  the  expen- 
diture ? 

A.  Yes,  that  is  about  it ;  and  I  think  you  would  not  find  much 
difference  in  the  water  after  it  was  done,  unless  you  take  all  the 
soil  out.  You  would  find  some  difference  ;  but  you  would  not  have 
pure  water,  —  what  people  are  asking  for. 

Q.  Why  should  we  not  have  pure  water,  except  the  discolora- 
tion ? 

A.  That  is  the  point.  It  is  the  color,  as  I  understand  it,  that 
people  are  objecting  to. 

Q.  We  find  by  analysis  that  the  water  is  whiter  after  staying  in 
the  basins,  although  it  contains  more  matter  in  solution. 

A.  That  would  be  a  new  feature  to  me,  and  something  I  never 
knew  before.  We  supposed  the  vegetable  matter  gave  it  the  color, 
and  I  do  not  know  how,  when  the  color  decreases,  the  organic  mat- 
ter taken  up  in  the  basins  can  increase. 

Dr.  BLAKE. — Are  you  so  liable  to  have  algce  and  water-plants 
growing  upon  the  margins  of  a  flowing  river  as  upon  the  banks  of 
a  stagnant  pool  with  low  margins? 

A.  I  want  to  separate  algce  from  ordinary  water-plants.  Water- 
plants  will  grow  upon  the  borders  of  a  river  or  a  pond  of  still 
water  ;  but  nobody  knows  whether  soil  is  necessary  or  favorable  to 
the  growth  of  algce  or  not. 

Q.  The  testimony  we  have  had  is  that  the  three  conditions  nec- 
essaiy  to  the  growth  of  algoe  are  shallow  flowage,  heat,  and  organic 
vegetable  matter.  We  have  those  conditions? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.   And  consequently  a  higher  temperature  of  water? 

A.  There  is  much  less  trouble  in  flowing  water  than  in  basins. 
But  to  answer  your  question  in  a  general  way  :  This  growth  of 
algce  occurs  in  lakes  in  the  upper  part  of  Maine,  where  people  sel- 
dom go  except  for  fishing  purposes  ;  it  occurs,  I  am  told,  in  Lake 
Winnipiscogee.  Where  there  is  shallow  flowage  the  general  tem- 
perature must  be  higher  than  where  there  is  none.  But  those  lakes 
where  the  algce  grow  often  have  clear,  pebbly  bottoms. 

Q.  And  with  shallow  margins?  It  occurs  upon  the  margins 
and  is  then  diffused  by  the  action  of  the  wind.  Why  do  you  not 
have  algce  growing  out  in  Lake  Wenharn,  where  there  is  a  great 
depth  of  water? 

A.    I  do  not  know  whether  they  have  it  there  or  not. 

Q.  I  do  not  think  they  do  to  the  same  extent.  In  the  prepara- 
tion of  new  basins  would  you  take  any  greater  precautions  as  to 
cleaning  of  the  bottoms  by  removing  the  soil  and  deepening  the 
margins  ? 

A.  I  think  I  should,  with  the  present  light,  knowing  that  the 
water  surface  was  to  be  drawn  down  several  feet  each  year  in  hot 
weather. 


164  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  —  To  what  extent?  4 

A.  I  could  not  tell  you  unless  I  went  out  on  the  land  and  looked 
it  over.  In  a  general  wa}'  I  should  sa}~  I  would  clear  away  soil  and 
increase  the  depth  where  there  is  not  seven  feet  of  depth  at  high 
water. 

Q.    Would  you  advise  that  that  be  done  now  ? 

A.  I  do  not  think  you  can  do  it  to  any  extent,  except  in  Basin 
No.  1. 

Q.   Because  we  cannot  afford  to  lose  the  supply  ? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.   Is  that  the  only  reason  ? 

A.  That  is  the  chief  reason.  You  cannot  put  the  basins  out  of 
use  long  enough  to  do  it. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  If  one  basin  was  down  in  the  summer  and 
comparatively  empty,  you  might  take  out  some  soil  then? 

A.  Yes,  sir  ;  you  could  do  it  in  a  very  small  way.  I  want  to  im- 
press upon  you  that  it  is  an  enormous  job,  if  3-011  undertake  to  take 
out  the  soil  generally,  and  it  involves  an  enormous  amount  of 
work.  You  cannot  hire  carts  enough  to  do  it,  but  you  have  got  to 
lay  railroad  tracks,  and  you  have  got  to  dispose  of  your  soil.  I 
suppose  that  the  Water  Board  have,  or  if  not  they  should  have,  a 
body  of  men  through  the  summer  taking  out  this  deposit  when  the 
water  is  low  in  the  basins. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  — Have  the  Water  Board  proceeded  in  that  mat- 
ter, Mr.  Wightman? 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  Yes,  sir  ;  they  have  done  considerable  of  it. 
When  this  Commission  first  went  up  there  to  look  at  those  basins, 
you  saw  some  men  at  Basin  2? 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  —  I  do  not  recollect. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  They  have  been  at  it  all  summer.  They 
have  done  a  great  deal  at  it  this  summer.  There  are  two  or  three 
coves  that  were  cut  off  by  the  road  at  Ashland,  and  all  of  that  has 
been  dug  out.  The}"  kept  on  digging  until  the  water  drove  them 
out. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  — In  preparing  this  new  basin,  where  you  have 
removed  considerable  of  tliis  soil,  have  you  found  any  difficulty  in 
disposing  of  it? 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  I  have  done  just  what  Mr.  Davis  said  would 
have  to  be  done.  I  have  spent  fourteen  thousand  dollars  in  laying 
a  branch  track  in  there  to  take  the  loam  out  of  the  basins.  I  have 
takon  it  from  the  sides  of  the  basins  convenient  to  the  track.  We 
shall  take  it  out  and  bring  it  to  Boston,  or  let  it  remain  there  until 
it  is  wanted  somewhere  in  the  city. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  — Have  you  estimated  the  expense  of  taking  out 
the  loam  in  Basin  4  ? 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  I  could  not  tell  }*ou  what  it  would  cost  to 
take  it  out  of  the  basin  and  simply  deposit  it  just  outside  of  the 
limits  of  the  basin  ;  but  to  take  it  out  of  the  basin  and  get  it  to 
Boslon,  it  costs  approximately  about  $1.50  a  cubic  yard.  It 
would  cost  the  Park  Department  about  $1.00  and  the  Water  Board 
about  50  cents  a  cubic  yard. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  How  much  are  you  calculating  to  take  out  ? 


APPENDIX.  165 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN. — About  200,000  3rards.  It  will  depend  upon 
how  much  they  want  for  Commonwealth  avenue,  and  whether  they 
will  go  on  with  the  Muddy-river  Improvement.  They  want  about 
100,000  yards  for  the  Back  Bay  park,  and  50,000  yards  on  Common- 
wealth avenue,  and  if  the  Muddy-river  Improvement  goes  on  they 
wlil  want  about  as  much  more. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  —  Suppose  this  was  not  needed  by  the  Park  Com- 
missioners at  all,  ond  you  had  no  way  of  disposing  of  it  with  ad- 
vantage to  the  city,  would  you  remove  the  loam  simply  as  a  ques- 
tion affecting  the  water  in  the  basin? 

A.  I  am  simply  taking  it  out  a  little  deeper  than  Mr.  Davis 
mentions,  down  to  about  twelve  feet  from  the  high-water  line. 
Thnt  is  all  I  should  do,  and  that  is  all  I  propose  to  do. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  —  You  think  that  advisable  to-day,  looking  at 
the  water  supply  only? 

A.  Yes,  sir,  it  is  a  question  of  judgment  solely,  as  regards 
that  depth.  This  is  a  very  narrow  and  deep  basin,  and  of  course 
the  fluctuations  will  be  greater.  I  am  not  taking  it  out  of  the 
shallow  basins  more  than  seven  feet. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Do  yon  know,  Mr.  Davis,  whether  any  other  cities 
with  a  water  supply  like  ours  have  periodical  cleansing  of  their 
storage-basins  ? 

Mr.  DAVIS.  —  I  never  knew  it  to  be  done. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  I  think  it  is  done  by  the  city  of  New  York.  Did 
you  not  so  understand,  Mr.  Greenough? 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  I  understood  Mr.  Dresser  to  say  the  reser- 
voirs in  the  cit}T  were  cleaned  ;  but  not  the  reservoirs  upon  the 
Croton . 

Mr.  DAVIS.  —  They  have  never,  I  believe,  cleaned  out  the  new 
reservoir  in  the  park. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH. — They  cleaned  out  the  Forty-second-street 
reservoir. 

Mr.  DAVIS.  — It  has  been  the  custom  to  clean  out  the  Brookline 
reservoir  here,  I  think. 

Mr.  BRADLEE.  —  I  think  it  had  not  been  cleaned  out  for  thirty 
3*ears  when  it  was  cleaned  the  last  time. 

Mr.  DAVIS.  — The  P^ast  Boston  reservoir  was  cleaned  out. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  And  it  might  be  said  right  here  that  not 
enough  deposit  was  obtained  to  pay  for  cleaning  it  out.  The  de- 
posit was  very  slight. 

Mr.  DAVIS. — New  Bedford  built  their  works  in  1867-8,  if  I  re- 
member rightly.  They  flowed  a  swampy  territory  by  a  dam  not 
more  than  seven  or  eight  feet  high.  When  the  water  first  went  into 
the  city  the  color  was  very  deep.  The  people  objected  to  it  because 
they  were  used  to  clear  water  from  wells.  But  there  has  been  no 
soil  taken  out  that  I  am  aware  of,  and  I  never  heard  that  it  pro- 
duced an}'  ill  effect  upon  health.  I  have  opened  this  book  to  a 
point  where  it  gives  the  testimony  taken  by  commissioners  in 
London,  appointed  to  get  at  the  question  of  impurity  of  water. 
The  Commission,  in  their  report,  say  (reading  from  pages  30-31, 
Doc.  29,  1873)  :  — 


166  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

The  organic  compounds  dissolved  in  water  appear  to  be  of  very  instable 
constitution  and  to  be  very  easily  decomposed,  the  great  agent  in  this  decom- 
position being  oxygen,  and  the  process  being  considerably  hastened  by  the 
motion  of  the  water.  Now,  as  such  waters  (river  waters)  always  contain 
naturally  much  air  dissolved  in  them,  the  decomposing  agent  is  ready  at  hand 
to  exert  its  influence  the  moment  the  matter  is  received  into  the  "water,  in 
addition  to  which  motion  causes  a  further  action  by  exposure  to  the  atmos- 
phere. 

The  effect  of  the  action  of  oxygen  on  these  matters,  when  complete,  is  to 
break  them  up,  to  destroy  all  their  peculiar  organic  constitution,  and  to  rear- 
range their  elements  into  permanent  inorganic  forms,  innocuous,  and  free  from 
any  deleterious  quality. 

It  does  not  follow  that  all  organic  matter  in  water  is  prejudicial.  Almost  all 
our  drinks,  other  than  water,  owe  their  distinctive  qualities  to  the  varieties  of 
their  organic  contents. 

Dr.  Lyon  Playfair,  Professor  of  Chemistry  in  the  University  of  Edinburgh, 
in  his  testimony  before  the  commissioners,  states  :  — 

The  effect  of  organic  matter  in  the  water  depends  very  much  upon  the  char- 
acter of  that  organic  matter.  If  it  be  a  mere  vegetable  matter,  such  as 
comes  from  a  peaty  district,  even  if  the  water  is  originally  of  a  pale  sherry 
color,  on  being  exposed  to  the  air  in  reservoirs,  or  in  canals  leading  from  one 
reservoir  to  another,  the  vegetable  matter  gets  acted  upon  by  the  air,  and  be- 
comes insoluble,  and  is  chiefly  deposited;  and  what  remains  has  no  influence 
upon  health. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Are  yon  familiar  with  the  water  supplies  of 
any  large  European  cities,  Mr.  Davis? 

A.  Well,  I  know  something  about  them.  For  instance,  I  saw 
the  Berlin  supply  where  the  water  is  filtered.  The  water  is 
pumped  from  the  river  Spree,  filtered,  and  then  pumped  into  the 
city.  The  Paris  supply  comes  from  various  sources.  About  two- 
thirds  of  it  is  used  for  street  purposes,  and  only  one-third  is  car- 
ried into  the  buildings  for  domestic  purposes.  They  keep  the  two 
supplies  distinct,  and  have  two  distinct  sets  of  pipes  running 
throughout  the  city.  I  will  sny  here  in  reference  to  this  question, 
that  in  this  country  we  have  got  to  very  much  restrict  the  use  of 
water,  which  is  what  the  superintendents  of  water  works  have  been 
aiming  at  for  the  last  fifteen  or  twenty  years,  without  being  able  to 
obtain  sufficient  authority ;  or  else  we  have  got  to  bring  in  a 
special  supply  for  drinking  and  culinary  use.  With  the  drainage 
area  required  to  supply  Boston,  it  is  impossible  to  get  a  supply 
free  from  pollution,  and  it  is  impracticable  in  this  climate  to  purify 
water  by  filtration  in  such  large  quantities  as  are  needed  for  gen- 
eral use.  I  suppose  that  Lake  Cochituate  could  be  defended 
against  pollution,  and  if  its  water  were  kept  separate  3*011  could 
deliver  sufficient  from  it  for  purely  domestic  purposes.  It  is  possi- 
ble that  you  could  improve  the  Sudbury-river  water  by  blowing  air 
through  it.  I  understand  the  city  proposes  to  build  a  conduit 
across  Farm  pond,  and  it  might  be  so  arranged  that  air  could  be 
blown  through  it,  so  as  to  let  the  oxygen  attack  in  all  parts.  I 
have  no  doubt  it  would  very  much  improve  the  quality  of  the 
water.  I  did  not  know  but  you  might  want  to  ask  me  something 
in  regnrd  to  special  cases  of  sewage  pollution,  as  at  Pegan  brook 
and  South  Framingham.  Within  a  few  days  my  attention  has 
been  called  to  what  is  known  as  the  Farquhar  filter.  There  is  one 
on  exhibition  in  New  York,  and  I  went  down  last  Saturday  to  see 
it  in  operation,  so  as  to  be  able  to  say  something  about  it.  I  have 


APPENDIX.  167 

one  of  the  reports  of  the  inventor,  which  will  give  the  information 
in  detail. 

Q.    What  is  its  peculiarity? 

A.  It  is  simply  keeping  a  fresh  surface  at  all  times,  and  filter- 
ing under  pressure.  Filters  usually  choke  up  so  quickly  that  you 
get  but  a  small  result  after  a  few  hours'  filtration. 

Mr.  SHEPAKD.  —  Is  this  filter  to  be  used  on  faucets? 

A.  No,  sir ;  I  presume  it  was  gotten  up  original ty  for  manufact- 
uring purposes,  to  be  used  in  breweries,  sugar  refineries,  etc.  ;  but 
they  propose  to  use  it  for  filtering  the  water  supplies  of  towns. 
Here  is  the  report  of  an  experiment  they  made  in  filtering  the 
water  supplied  to  Paris,  mixed  with  the  mud  and  sewage  of  the 
city,  till  it  had  500  milligrammes  of  suspended  matter  in  each  litre 
of  water. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  — You  do  not  suppose  any  such  filter  could 
be  used  in  our  water  supply,  do  you? 

A.  I  bring  this  to  your  attention  as  a  possible  means  of  filtering 
the  portion  of  the  supply  which  is  subject  to  sewage  pollution,  and 
not  to  filter  all  that  comes  into  the  city. 

Q.    Do  you  think  that  would  be  possible? 

A.   Oh,  yes. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  —  At  what  expense? 

A.    I  cannot  answer  that. 

Q.   Is  it  a  very  large  expense? 

A.  Here  is  a  cut  of  the  machine.  The  inventor  says  that  a 
machine  ten  feet  in  diameter  would  filter  a  million  United  States 
gallons  a  day  of  such  water  as  is  ordinarily  supplied  to  cities.  Of 
course  it  depends  upon  the  quality  of  the  water  as  to  how  much 
would  go  through  it.  The  water  would  have  to  be  pumped  up  ;  the 
filtering  is  under  pressure.  I  do  not  bring  that  before  you  to  recom- 
mend it,  for  I  know  nothing  about  it.  My  attention  was  called  to  it 
only  a  short  time  ago,  and  it  was  only  because  I  knew  that  you 
wanted  me  to  come  before  you  that  I  looked  at  it  at  all.  I  saw  a 
little  model  of  it  at  work.  Ink  would  look  almost  clear  alongside  of 
the  stuff  they  put  into  it,  and  it  came  out  perfectly  limpid.  They 
said  it  was  such  water  as  is  found  at  the  bottoms  of  coal  mines. — 
water  mixed  with  bituminous  matter  and  clay. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  This  would  not  take  out  the  dangerous 
matter  held  in  solution? 

A.  It  takes  out  organic  matter,  according  to  that  French 
report.  It  did  not  take  out  the  chlorine.  I  merely  draw  the 
machine  to  the  attention  of  the  Commission  ;  and  if  they  want  to 
investigate  the  matter  further  they  will  have  to  do  so,  for  I  have 
not  investigated  it  enough  to  recommend  it. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Have  you  any  suggestions  to  make  as  to  methods 
for  purifying  our  water? 

A.  Nothing  that  I  know  of,  further  than  what  I  have  said.  I 
think  the  question  of  blowing  air  through  it  is  worth  study.  I 
should  not  dare  to  recommend  it  with  any  knowledge  I  have  on  the 
subject  now,  but  I  think  it  would  be  worth  while  to  experiment 
pretty  thoroughly  about  it. 

Q.   You  would  recommend  a  larger  number  of  supply  and  storage 


168  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

basins,  so  as  to  allow  the  water  to  remain  in  them ,4  and  so  as  to 
clean  out  one  or  more  if  necessary? 

A.  Yes ;  that  is  a  part  of  the  original  plan,  and  it  is  very 
desirable.  With  the  present  consumption  there  should  be  much 
greater  storage  capacity  at  the  source  of  supply. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Do  you  consider  that  more  desirab  e  than  a 
reduction  of  the  consumption? 

A.  I  consider  that  the  most  crying  want  of  most  of  our  water 
supplies  is  the  reduction  of  the  consumption  of  water,  because 
there  are  many  attendant  evils  outside  of  this  question  that  you 
are  considering  now.  The  1873  report  on  the  water  supply  is 
based  upon  the  city  using  GO  gallons  a  day  per  capita,  and  you  are 
using  90  or  more.  At  that  rate  you  will  want  another  source  of 
supply  before  many  years. 

Q.  Any  supply  obtained  as  ours  is,  during  the  hot  weather  is 
liable  to  be  affected  by  the  sun  ? 

A.   Yes,  sir  ;  all  surface-waters  are. 

Q.  So  all  you  can  do  is  to  cut  off  that  portion  which  happens 
to  be  pure? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  you  can  cut  off  that  by  increasing  the  supply  or 
decreasing  the  consumption? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  if  you  decrease  your  consumption  you  are  much  more 
able  to  handle  your  water,  and  keep  it  pure? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  —  In  speaking  of  different  supplies,  one  for 
domestic  purposes  and  the  other  for  streets,  I  suppose  that  would 
mean  for  cleaning  the  streets,  the  fire  department,  and  all  that  sort 
of  thing ;  and  you  would  have  but  one  supply  to  go  into  the 
houses  ? 

A.    I  should  have  two  supplies  for  the  houses. 

Q.  Then  how  are  you  going  to  compel  the  people  to  separate 
them?  How  are  you  going  to  prevent  them  from  using  the  pure 
water  for  washing,  etc.  ? 

A.  I  would  not  allow  them  to  connect  the  pure  water  with  the 
water-closets  and  bath-tubs,  where  a  large  part  of  the  waste  occurs. 
The  pure  supply  would  be  connected  with  a  faucet,  where  it  could 
be  wasted  to  a  certain  extent ;  but  I  would  not  allow  more  than 
one  faucet  to  a  floor.  I  do  not  think  that  in  Paris  they  carry  both 
supplies  into  the  houses;  but  they  use  enormous  quantities  of 
water  for  fountains  and  in  cleaning  the  streets.  Early  in  the  morn- 
ing they  will  let  the  water  run  into  the  gutters  and  wash  the  street 
cleanings  into  the  sewers.  The  total  supply,  including  this  two- 
thirds  which  is  used  for  street  purposes,  is  very  much  less  per 
inhabitant  than  the  Boston  supply.  That  which  is  used  for  street 
purposes  comes  from  the  canal  de  1'Ourcq  and  from  the  Seine. 
The  supply  for  the  houses  comes  from  three  or  four  different 
sources.  The  one  I  saw  comes,  if  I  remember  correctly,  about 
90  miles,  and  is  collected  from  some  little  springs.  It  is  quite 
hard  water,  and  our  people  would  object  to  it  on  that  account ;  but 
it  is  perfectly  pure  so  far  as  concerns  organic  matter. 


APPENDIX.  169 

Q.  Would  it  be  practicable  to  supply  the  Cochituate  water  for 
domestic  purposes  and  the  Sudbury  for  other  uses? 

A.  Yes,  sir ;  it  is  practicable  ;  but  you  would  have  to  lay  a  new 
distribution  system. 

Q.    It  would  be  very  expensive  ? 

A.  It  would  cost  something  ;  but  it  would  not  be  anything  like 
as  large  a  system  as  you  now  have,  —  not  so  large  a  size  of  pipes. 
There  is  no  large  source  of  supply  that  I  know  of  that  it  is  practi- 
cable for  Boston  to  take,  —  and  almost  all  our  cities  are  similarly 
situated,  —  with  which  you  will  not  have  difficulties  similar  to  those 
that  you  are  having  now.  To  attempt  to  purify  the  water  in  the 
quantity  that  you  are  using  would  be  excessively  costly. 

Q.  Is  not  the  question  of  giving  a  special  supply  for  faucet  use 
one  that  we  have  got  to  meet? 

A.  A  great  many  of  our  cities  would  be  perfectly  content  with 
water  that  other  people  would  find  a  great  deal  of  fault  with. 

Q.    Take  Boston,  for  instance. 

A.  It  depends  upon  what  the  people  are  going  to  demand.  If 
they  demand  water  clear  to  the  eye  and  entirely  free  from  pollu- 
tion, 3*011  will  have  to  meet  it  in  that  way.  If  the}r  are  content 
with  water  that  is  not  shown  to  be  actually  dangerous  to  health, 
the  question  then  is  a  different  one. 

Q.  I  suppose  it  is  very  difficult  to  show  that  it  is  positively 
dangerous  to  health. 

A.  I  do  not  know  that  it  would  be  so.  I  should  not  think  it 
would  be  very  difficult  to  show,  provided  it  really  is. 

Q.  The  experts  who  have  appeared  before  this  Commission  have 
testified  that,  in  their  opinion,  it  is  so ;  but  they  cannot  bring  up 
special  cases  and  say  that  that  disease  was  caused  by  the  water. 

A.  There  are  volumes  of  evidence  to  show  that  disease  is  pro- 
duced by  impure  water ;  but  it  is  usually  well-water,  or  water  from 
small  supplies.  Now,  if  it  is  easy  to  prove  in  those  cases,  I 
should  think  that  it  would  be  much  easier  to  prove  that  a  disease 
came  from  a  large  supply,  because  it  would  be  more  wide-spread. 
There  is  considerable  evidence  that  cholera  was  produced  in 
London  from  one  supply  there;  but  a  more  thorough  analysis  of 
that  evidence  in  later  years  has  led  to  a  good  deal  of  doubt  about 
that. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  —  If  I  remember  rightly  they  took  some  testimony 
in  London  a  short  time  ago  concerning  the  sewage  pollution  of  one 
of  their  water  supplies,  and  it  was  very  concurrent  that  all  sewage 
should  be  kept  out  of  a  water  supply  because  it  was  injurious  to 
health  ;  and  yet  none  of  the  experts  could  point  to  a  single  case. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  I  suppose  you  have  reference  to  the  Snow-street 
pump,  Mr.  Davis? 

A.  I  do  not  refer  to  any  particular  case.  But  in  this  country, 
and  in  England  and  Germany,  there  have  been  plenty  of  cases 
where  disease  was  directly  traced  to  impure  water ;  but  I  do  not 
remember  where  it  has  been  traced  to  a  large  public  supply.  If 
an  epidemic  was  produced,  it  seems  to  me  it  could  be  shown 
whether  it  was  caused  by  the  water  supply  or  not.  How  much 
effect  water  which,  from  its  color  or  other  cause,  is  not  pleasant  to 


170  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.   129. 

the  senses  has  upon  people  who  are  sick,  I  do  not  know  anything 
about ;  but  most  sucli  people  could  easily  be  provided  with  water 
brought  in  here  in  barrels,  if  necessary. 

Q.   Upon  general  grounds  you  would  exclude  large  contaminat- 
ing sources  ? 

A.  Oh,  j'es.  I  am  only  referring  to  what  is  practicable.  A 
water  supply  cannot  be  too  pure. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Do  you  know  any  large  cities  where  they 
take  any  more  care  than  we  do  in  the  preparation  of  their  basins? 
How  is  it  with  Baltimore? 

A.  Baltimore  did  not,  as  I  understand,  have  to  take  any  care. 
Their  basin  was  in  the  bed  of  the  river,  as  you  might  sa}*,  and  it 
is  rocky,  so  I  am  told,  —  I  have  never  been  there.  A  good  many 
3rears  ago  Albany  dammed  tip  a  small  stream,  and  t\\ey  had  a  great 
deal  of  trouble  with  their  water ;  but  I  do  not  think  any  soil  was 
removed.  Troy  got  water  in  about  the  same  way.  Worcester  got 
water  in  that  way.  New  Bedford  I  have  mentioned,  Lynn  gets 
its  water  in  that  way. 

Q.    Have  they  not  had  trouble  at  Springfield? 
A.   Yes,  sir.     Springfield  gets  its  water  in  that  way. 
Dr.  BLAKE.  —  And  all  the  towns  around  Boston  have  the  same 
system,  and  all  have  the  same  source  of  complaint? 

A.  Most  of  them.  Salem,  however,  gets  its  supply  from  Lake 
Wenham. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  — In  other  words,  there  have  been  experiments 
for  the  last  twenty  j'ears  in  this  country,  and  they  have  pretty  much 
all  had  the  same  trouble  ? 
A.   Yes,  sir. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  The  question  is,  what  is  to  be  done  about 
it? 

Dr.  BLAKE. — The  what  to  do  about  it  is,  to  try  some  other 
method.  We  have  had  pollutions  enough  of  that  kind. 

Mr.  DAVIS.  —  1  do  not  know  any  other  large  source  of  a  differ- 
ent character  that  Boston  can  obtain,  except  the  Merrimack  river, 
and  there  would  be  the  objection  of  cost  there. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  We  would  require  storage  basins  in  that 
case? 

A.  No,  sir.  It  would  require  settling-basins  and  filters,  and  two 
sets  of  pumping  apparatus.  The  first  cost  was  estimated,  in  1872, 
at  thirteen  million  dollars  ;  and  then  there  is  the  yearly  cost  of 
settling,  filtering,  and  pumping. 

Q.   How  would  it  be  about  the  Charles? 
A.   It  is  exactly  the  same  as  the  Sudbury. 
Q.   You  would  have  to  store  }*our  supply  from  the  Charles  ? 
A.   Oh,  yes.     There  is  nothing  available  for  Boston,  that  I  know 
of,  except  this  kind  of  a  supply. 

Q.  Unless  you  went  to  the  Merrimack.  You  would  have  the 
same  trouble  with  the  Sudbury  and  the  Shawsheen? 

A.  Yes,  sir ;  and  with  the  Merrimack.  Those  people  who  are 
troubled  about  sewage  pollution  would  have  trouble  on  account  o 
the  large  cities  above  the  point  of  taking  the  suppty.  A  large 
number  of  English  scientists  testified  that  if  one  of  those  germ 


APPENDIX.  171 

that  produce  disease  got  into  water,  there  is  no  reasonable  distance 
the  water  might  travel  that  would  eliminate  that  germ  from  it. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  however,  we  find  people  using  water  which 
has  been  polluted  some  distance  above  the  point  from  which  it  is 
taken,  and  they  have  never  been  able  to  trace  disease  to  the  water. 
In  saying  this  I  do  not  wish  to  be  understood  as  favoring  the  use 
of  water  that  has  been  polluted  by  sewage. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  — The  germ  flourishes  in  a  certain  kind  of  soil,  and 
when  it  finds  a  person  in  a  proper  condition  to  be  acted  upon,  it 
will  soon  cause  an  ulceration  in  the  stomach. 

A.  Yes,  sir  ;  I  do  not  deny  the  statement.  But  if  the  argument 
is  carried  in  other  directions  as  far  as  it  often  is  with  the  water 
supply,  —  I  am  speaking  particularly  about  what  has  been  said  in 
England,  — you  would  be  afraid  to  breathe  the  air  in  our  streets. 

Mr.  SHEPARD. —  Mr.  Wightman,  have  the  Water  Board  had 
an  examination  made  by  Prof.  Wood  of  the  water  as  it  comes 
into  our  pipes  in  the  city? 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  — •  No  ;  I  do  not  think  they  have. 

Mr.  GRKENOUGH. — I  do  not  see  that  you  give  us  very  much 
advice,  Mr.  Davis,  as  to  how  we  can  better  our  supply  ? 

A.  No,  sir.  I  do  not  see  but  that  you  have  a  question  before 
you  that  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  deal  with.  As  I  have  said,  the 
thing  I  used  to  hear  talked  about  as  much  as  anything  else  was 
the  Pegan-brook  pollution.  I  think  that  can  be  handled.  I  think 
any  of  those  sewage  questions  can  be  handled.  If  the  Commission 
are  going  into  that  question  I  would  suggest  that  they  examine 
this  filter.  That  sewage  can  be  diverted.  We  made  surveys  for 
the  diversion  of  the  sewage  from  Sudbury  river  while  we  were 
building  the  works.  We  proposed  to  take  the  sewage  down  below 
Saxon  ville,  and  use  it  for  agricultural  purposes,  —  that  is,  the  drain- 
age from  Natick,  Ashland,  and  Marlboro'. 

Mr.  SHEPARD. —  Is  it  going  to  be  expensive  to  divert  the  sew- 
age and  take  care  of  it? 

A.  If  I  remember  the  figures,  about  three-quarters  of  a  million 
dollars  would  have  built  a  scheme  of  works  which  would  have 
taken  the  Marlboro'  and  Ashland  sewage,  and  the  Natick  and 
Framingham  sewage.  Those  towns  should  be  made  to  pay  a  large 
portion  of  that  expense. 

Q.  What  would  be  the  running  expense?  You  say  }*ou  were 
going  to  use  it  for  agricultural  purposes? 

A.  There  would  be  no  pumping.  The  farm  would  be  run  at  a 
loss  ;  that  has  been  the  experience  abroad.  But  it  would  not  be  a 
heav}r  expense. 

Q.  The  city  would  have  to  run  that  farm  ;  that  is,  you  mean  to 
spread  the  sewage  abroad  upon  some  farm  the  city  would  carry  on. 
You  do  not  mean  that  the  city  would  dispose  of  it  to  the  town 
farmers  who  might  want  it? 

A.  No,  sir ;  the  city  would  own  the  farm.  The  estimate  in- 
cluded the  cost  of  the  farm. 

Q.    Why  was  nothing  ever  done? 

A.  With  the  exception  of  Pegan  brook  there  was  nothing  press- 
ing. I  think,  probably,  the  city  would  have  had  some  report  in 


172  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

reference  to  it  before  this  time,  if  it  had  not  been  that  the  Legislature 
appointed  a  commission  to  consider  the  subject  of  metropolitan 
drainage. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  All  that  information  was  before  the  commis- 
sion on  metropolitan  drainage.  We  gave  them  all  this  information 
and  the  surveys. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  —  Suppose  the  city  should  go  ahead  and  build  such 
works,  in  case  the  State  ever  does  establish  a  metropolitan  system 
of  drainage,  they  would  take  the  city's  works  at  a  fair  valuation,  as 
they  would  our  intercepting  sewer? 

Mr.  DAVIS.  —  I  would  like  to  answer  }rour  question  a  little  fur- 
ther, Mr.  Greenongh,  in  relation  to  vegetable  organic  impurit3T, 
and  the  question  of  increased  capacity  or  decrease  in  consumption  ; 
as  I  have  said  before,  I  am  not  aware  that  such  impurity  in  mod- 
erate quantities  is  noxious  to  health.  The  testimony  before  the 
royal  commission  on  water  supply,  taken  in  1868,  was  practi- 
cally unanimous  on  this  point.  It  is  only  this  class  of  impurities 
that  will  be  affected  by  removing  the  soil,  and  to  produce  much 
benefit  all  the  soil  —  from  the  valley  bottom,  as  well  as  from  the 
slopes  —  must  be  removed.  This  is  now  impracticable  in  Basins 
2  and  3,  even  if  it  ever  was  judicious.  The  money  it  would  cost 
had  better,  in  my  opinion,  be  used  in,  1st,  preventing  waste;  or, 
2d,  in  increasing  the  number  of  storage-basins,  that  the  water  in 
the  basins  may  be  kept  at  a  more  uniform  level,  and  that  in  case 
of  necessity  an  offensive  basin  may  be  thrown  out  of  use  till  the 
trouble  is  removed.  Longer  storage,  and  exposure  to  the  air  and 
sunlight,  will  certainly  reduce  the  color  and  bitter  taste.  Sewage 
pollution  is  another  matter,  and  must  be  treated  at  the  point  where 
it  occurs. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  You  do  not  think  we  can  materially  improve 
the  basins  we  have  except  at  a  very  large  expense  ? 

A.   No,  sir. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  —  And  the  further  objection  is  that  we  cannot  do 
it,  because  we  need  the  water. 

A.  You  cannot  do  it  in  Basins  2  and  3  unless  you  provide 
other  storage ;  and  I  presume  Basin  1  is  little  used  for  the  supply 
of  the  city.  It  was  not  thought  its  level  would  be  much  drawn 
down.  It  is  a  shallow  basin,  and  the  dam  was  made  more  to 
divert  the  water  into  the  conduit  than  for  storage  purposes.  The 
two  upper  basins  are  connected  directly  with  the  conduit,  so  that 
3'ou  can  obtain  the  water  from  them  without  mixing  it  in  Basin  1. 
If  Basin  1  is  to  be  used  as  a  storage-basin  to  be  drawn  down  to 
any  large  extent,  there  ought  to  be  a  great  amount  of  work  upon  it, 
because  there  is  a  large  amount  of  soil  and  shallow  flowage.  But, 
so  far  as  Basins  2  and  3  are  concerned,  I  do  not  see  how  it  is 
practicable  to  do  much ;  and  what  is  necessary  to  be  done  I  pre- 
sume the  Water  Board  are  doing,  and  have  been  doing. 

Mr.  WIGHTMAN.  —  We  used  Basin  1  principally  to  keep  up  that 
daily  supply  of  a  million  and  a  half  gallons  to  the  river  below. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  You  have  no  personal  knowledge  of  the  New 
York  water  works,  Mr.  Davis? 

A.    I  have  been  over  them. 


APPENDIX.  173 

Q.   They  have  taken  no  special  care  in  the  preparation  of  their 

T~\n  ci  lie  V 

A.  No,  sir.  But  their  soil  is  not  so  rich  as  yours,  except  in 
the  valley  bottoms.  There  is  not  so  much  soil  upon  the  slopes  as 
upon  yours. 

Dr." BLAKE. — The  character  of  their  grounds  gives  them  deeper 
stornge-basins? 

A.   Yes,  sir;  very  much. 

Q.  And  they  have  been  in  use  twenty  years,  and  have  reached 
that  condition  of  natural  ponds  by  this  time? 

A.  Well,  Croton  lake  has  been  in  use  forty  years  or  more. 
Other  basins  have  been  built  since. 

Q.  And  the  water  flows  twenty  miles  exposed  to  the  open  air 
before  it  enters  the  city? 

A.  No,  sir;  it  flows  direct  from  Croton  lake  in  a  covered 
conduit,  and  is  carried  into  the  reservoir  just  as  it  is  here.  But 
there  are  basins  and  ponds  higher  up  the  country,  and  the  water 
from  them  flows  a  considerable  distance  before  it  reaches  the  lake. 

Adjourned  to  Monday,  January  15,  at  4  P.M. 


FIFTEENTH    HEARING. 

MONDAY,  January  15,  1883. 
The  Commission  met  at  4  P.M. 

TESTIMONY  OF  DR.  CHARLES  SEDGWICK  MINOT. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Dr.  Minot,  I  took  the  liberty  of  suggesting  that 
you  be  invited  to  tell  us  something  about  the  manner  in  which  the 
city  of  Leipsic  is  supplied  with  water.  I  know  that  you  have 
been  there  recently,  and  we  are  engaged  in  investigating  the  water 
supply  of  the  city  of  Boston,  and  wish  to  obtain  all  possible  light 
upon  the  subject. 

Dr.  MINOT.  —  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  give  the  committee  any 
information  I  possess.  I  will  say  a  word  of  explanation  first. 
I  knew,  upon  going  abroad,  that  our  water  supply  required  investi- 
gation, and  that  it  was  desirable  that  as  many  as  possible  should 
know  the  necessities  of  a  good  water  supply.  Being  in  Leipsic, 
among  scientific  persons,  1  took  advantage  of  the  opportunity  of 
there  meeting  Professor  Hoffman,  who  is  a  professional  h}*gienist, 
and  a  member  of  the  city  government.  From  him  directly  I 
got  information,  and  we  spent  a  couple  of  days  together,  which 
were  mainly  devoted  to  the  water  supply  of  Leipsic.  He  had 
promised  to  send  me  the  documents  which  had  been  published, 
and  which  would  place  at  my  command  all  the  exact  details  of 
the  information  as  to  quantity  used,  the  condition,  and  all  neces- 
sary data.  These  papers  I  have  not  yet  received ;  but  I  think  I 
can  give  you  accurate  information,  as  long  as  you  do  not  insist 
upon  the  exact  figures. 

The  water  supply  of  Leipsic  was  first  built  a  number  of  }*ears 
ago  by  persons  without  any  experience  or  knowledge  of  the  sub- 
ject. The  water  was  exceedingly  bad,  and  very  insufficient  in 


174  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

quantity.  They  made  an  investigation,  which  was  put  in  charge  of 
Hoffman.  He  found  the  principal  contamination  was  due  to  a 
supply  of  iron  in  the  form  of  proto-oxides,  which  came  directly 
from  the  soil,  and  that  the  territory  from  which  the  city  of  Leipsic 
was  supplied  was  more  or  less  contaminated  with  this  oxide  of 
iron.  Thus  the  water  was  often  rendered  unfit  for  drinking.  This 
difficulty  was  remedied  by  flooding  water  over  the  pipes  at  the 
point  of  principal  contamination,  in  order  to  produce  a  flow  away 
from  the  pipes,  to  carry  thus  the  iron  away,  and  prevent  the  iron 
salts  from  entering  the  supply-pipes  laid  in  the  soil.  It  was 
known  that  the  town  was  growing  rapidly,  and  an  increased 
supply  had  to  be  sought.  The  problem  was  a  difficult  one. 
Leipsic  is  situated  on  a  low  plain.  Its  total  elevation  above  the 
sea  is  150  metres,  — -  perhaps  in  the  neighborhood  of  500  feet,  —  and 
there  are  no  mountains  of  any  size,  or  elevated  laud,  in  its  neighbor- 
hood. The  water,  then,  would  have  to  be  drawn  from  some  low- 
source,  and  power  used  to  give  it  the  necessary  pressure.  It 
therefore  seemed  to  them  that  they  must  draw  the  water  from  the 
soil.  An  investigation  was  proceeded  with,  which  led  them  to  the 
conviction  that  not  only  was  it  best  in  their  case  to  take  water  from 
the  soil,  but  that,  whenever  it  was  possible,  the  water  should 
always  be  taken  directly  from  the  soil,  and  not  from  any  standing 
body  of  water,  or  from  any  flowing  stream.  This  investigation 
was  carried  on  with  great  minuteness  and  thoroughness  under  the 
direction  of  Professor  Hoffman,  and  his  statements  rest  upon  an 
ascertained  body  of  facts. 

The  advantages  of  the  soil-water  when  taken  at  sufficient  depth, 
and  from  a  proper  point,  are  that  it  has  a  constant  composition, 
that  it  is  not  exposed  to  any  temporary  alterations  in  its  com- 
position or  to  any  temporary  pollution.  It  has  also  another 
great  advantage,  that  of  a  low  temperature,  \vhich  is  a  very  con- 
siderable one,  being,  I  believe,  considered  advantageous  to  the 
water  in  use,  and,  from  a  hygienic  point  of  view,  advantageous  be- 
cause a  low  temperature  is  unfavorable  to  the  development  of 
lower  organisms.  That  the  composition  of  the  water  is  so  constant 
depends  upon  the  fact  of  the  filtering  down,  the  matters  in  solution 
beirg  retained  partly  by  the  soil,  for  no  water  can  pass  through 
the  soil  without  leaving  some  of  its  soluble  contents  in  the  soil; 
and  if  there  is  .in  excess  of  any  substance  in  the  earth  the  water 
dissolves  a  poition  of  that,  so  that  upon  arriving  at  a  certain 
depth  the  water  has  always  approximately  the  same  composition. 
This  point  settled,  that  the}7  rhust  take  their  water  from  the  soil, 
the}'  proceeded  to  explore  the  neighborhood  of  Leipsic  by  a  system 
of  borings  which  were  conducted  by  the  engineer.  They  made 
borings  leading  directly  down  into  the  earth,  and  ascertained  the 
depth  of  the  water  at  different  points.  The}'  then  drew  up  a  map 
of  these  levels,  —  making,  of  course,  explorations  in  those  direc- 
tions which  seemed  most  favorable  fora  water  supply,  — and  from 
the  comparison  of  those  different  levels  the  flow  of  the  water  was 
determined,  because,  of  course,  the  water  flowed  towards  its 
lowest  level.  They  did  not  have  to  go  to  a  very  great  depth  to 
find  water ;  in  low  valleys  I  think  not  often  beyond  a  depth  of  fifteen 


APPENDIX.  175 

or  twenty  feet.  They  found  that  the  level  of  the  water  in  the  soil 
represented  a  subterranean  lake,  and  was  independent  of  the  con- 
figuration of  the  surface,  by  which,  therefore,  they  could  not  be 
guided  very  much.  By  this  investigation  they  found  the  level  of 
the  water,  and,  also,  something  of  the  character  of  the  soil.  They 
found  that  a  large  deposit  of  glacial  gravel  had  been  left  spread 
over  this  alluvial  plain,  over  which  formerly  had  run  a  large  river 
bed, — that  of  the  Mulde  in  that  neighborhood.  They  succeeded 
in  tracing  the  bed,  and  finding  that  it  was  actually. a  stream 
of  water  flowing  through  the  soil ;  and  there,  at  a  certain  point, 
where  the  greatest  flow  took  place,  they  tapped  the  supply, 
put  in  their  boring,  and  were  able  to  draw  from  that  single 
boring  by  pumping  a  quantity  of  pure  water  which  was  nearly 
sufficient  for  the  entire  city  of  Leipsic, — Leipsic  having  a  popu- 
lation of  150,000,  —  and,  if  I  remember  correctly,  though  that 
point  I  am  not  positive  about,  the  daily  use  is  about  forty  gallons. 
These  works  were  not  completed  at  the  time  I  was  in  Leipsic  ;  they 
were  being  still  carried  on.  The  S3*stem  is,  after  having  determined 
where  the  pipes  are  to  be  laid,  to  make  trenches  and  borings,  and 
to  lay  porous  pipes  in  them,  and  connect  with  a  main  to  conduct  the 
water  towards  the  city.  These  pipes  are  laid  below  the  level  of 
the  water.  The  supply  which  is  obtained  is  very  large,  because 
they  find  that  this  soil  is  entirely  saturated  with  water  at  a  certain 
depth.  There  is  there,  as  probably  in  every  country  with  anything 
like  a  similar  constitution  of  surface,  a  supply  of  water  at  a  certain 
depth  below  the  surface,  which  supply  is  of  very  great  extent, 
because  it  fills  up,  as  I  said  before,  the  whole  space  between  the 
particles  of  the  soil ;  and  it  can  be  shown  very  easily  that  the 
amount  of  empty  space  in  a  deposit  of  gravel  is  about  one-third  of 
the  total  space  occupied,  so  that  one-third  is  water  and  two-thirds 
solid  matter.  This,  then,  virtually  gives  them  an  unlimited  supply, 
which  the}7  are  perfectly  certain  of  as  long  as  the  country  remains 
in  its  present  condition,  which  is  one  of  superficial  cultivation, 
with  only  a  small  number  of  habitations  about  it. 

The  emphasis  which  Hoffman  laid  upon  the  advantages  of  soil- 
water  made  a  very  deep  impression  upon  me,  and  led  me  to  think 
that  in  proposing  to  enlarge  any  further  our  system,  or  to  build  a 
new  one,  in  this  country,  due  consideration  should  be  given  to  the 
possibility  of  having  the  supply  drawn  entirely  from  the  soil, 
because  of  its  greater  purity  and  constancy  of  composition,  and  its 
freedom  from  accidental  pollution ;  and  upon  inquiry  I  find  that  in 
London  the  water  supply  which  comes  from  deep  springs,  and 
which  is,  therefore,  soil-water  like  this,  and  which  is  supplied  by 
the  Kent  Company,  is  purest.  Though  I  do  not  speak  with  the 
greatest  confidence  of  that  fact,  I  think  that  is  correct ;  and  in  this 
countiy  there  have  been  similar  experiments,  which  I  believe  have 
been  very  successful. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  — In  Brooklyn,  N.Y? 

Dr.  MINOT.  —  In  , Brooklyn,  N.Y.  So  that  there  seems  to  be  a 
great  deal  to  suggest  the  advantages  of  that  method. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  disadvantages  of  any  superficial  supply 
of  water  were  shown  by  the  experience  in  Leipsic  in  first  laying 


176  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

pipes  where  they  laid  them,  —  in  low,  marshy  land  not  yery  far  from 
villages,  and  not  very  far  from  a  small  stream  which  runs  into 
Leipsic,  which  is  not  very  pure.  These  pipes  were  not  laid  very 
deep,  and  the  nature  of  the  water  was  not  determined  beforehand. 
Its  composition  was  exceedingly  bad,  and  produced  a  great  deal  of 
sickness  in  Leipsic.  Undoubtedly  the  expense  saved  to  the  city 
by  the  appointment  of  their  scientific  commission  was  very  great. 
The  city  had  proposed,  np  to  that  time,  to  extend  the  same  source 
of  supply  further  out,  where  examination  showed,  however,  that 
the  water  was  a  great  deal  worse  than  where  the}'  started. 

In  regard  to  the  other  method  of  water  supply  there  is  something 
which  has  been  suggested  by  the  experience  of  Leipsic,  which 
might  prove  to  be  of  interest,  perhaps.  They  also  took  up  the 
question  of  a  supply  to  be  drawn  from  rivers  and  ponds,  although 
those  in  the  neighborhood  of  Leipsic  are  small  and  unimportant. 
They  found,  as  other  chemists  have  found,  that  the  supply  from 
ponds  and  rivers  is  always  uncertain,  is  always  less  satisfactory 
than  that  from  the  soil,  and  is  necessarily  so,  because  the  washings 
from  the  surface  are  gathered  into  it  whenever  there  is  a  heavy 
rain.  These,  I  suppose,  are  well-known  facts  to  you.  They  led  me 
to  make  some  further  inquiry  as  to  the  manner  in  which  they  got 
rid  of  those  terrible  impurities  to  which  they  had  been  subjected  in 
their  original  supply.  Hoffman  gave  me,  as  the  result  of  their  ex- 
perience, the  rule  that  the  vegetation  should  not  be  disturbed  more 
than  necessary,  but  that  abundant  and  ample  growth  of  vegetation 
was  necessary  for  the  purification  of  the  water,  and  that  the  taking 
out  of  that  vegetation  was  largely  a  mistake  ;  that  it  would  be 
better  in  many  cases  to  leave  the  bottom  entirely  undisturbed,  and 
let  the  vegetation  exert  its  uncontrolled  purifying  influence  ;  and  he 
instanced  a  great  irany  cases  in  which  that  had  been  done,  and 
also  other  cases  in  which  it  had  not  been  done,  which  he  followed 
np  by  comparisons,  and  stated  to  me  the  figures  of  his  analyses, 
which  I  do  not  recollect.  He  then  went  on  to  say  that  they  had 
suffered  particularly  when  they  had  attempted  to  clean  out  their 
basins,  which  are  small,  or  not  very  large.  If  they  drained  them  off, 
and  cleaned  them  out,  the}7  found  it  was  the  worst  thing  they  could 
do,  —  the  worst  process  of  purifying  which  they  had  tried,  —  because 
the  draining  off  necessarily  killed  the  organisms  of  the  plants  and 
vegetables  in  the  water  ;  that  no  pond  could  be  completely  cleaned 
out,  except  with  great  difficulty  and  much  labor;  when  you  put  the 
water  back  you  have  artificially  killed  the  organisms,  especially  the 
animal,  which  immediately  proceed  to  decay,  and  which  in  a  half- 
decayed  condition  were  dangerous ;  the  difference  between  the 
ordinary  process  of  decay  and  the  artificial  process  being  that,  in 
the  ordinaiy  process,  the  organic  decay  takes  place  with  considerable 
rapidity,  and  that  if  you  accomplish  the  dissolution  of  any  organic 
matter  it  is  perfectly  dangerless.  That  is  to  say,  if  you  swallow 
food  it  decomposes  completely,  the  decomposition  takes  place  in  a 
few  hours,  and  there  is  no  clanger  from  it;  if  you  allow  the  same 
food  to  decompose  slowly,  it  is  dangerous.  With  the  natural 
supply  of  decomposing  agents  in  water,  which  is  left  undisturbed 
"with  an  abundance  of  clean  water,  there  really  occurs  a  rapid 


APPENDIX.  177 

decomposition  ;  when  you  drain  off  the  water  and  then  clean  up  as 
well  as  3*011  can,  and  put  the  water  back,  3*011  have  an  accumulation 
of  matter  which  is  so  great  that  decomposition  is  necessarily  slow 
and  dangerous. 

I  believe  there  is  only  one  other  point  which  struck  me  as  being 
likely  to  be  of  interest,  especially  to  3-011,  and  that  is  that,  according 
to  the  source  of  the  water,  the  manner  of  storing  it  should  be  varied  ; 
that  if  it  is  taken  from  an  open  supply,  a  pond  or  river,  the  storage- 
basins  should  be  large  in  order  to  allow  rapid  settling  and  purifica- 
tion of  the  water.  If  yon  allow  it  to  be  spread  over  considerable 
surface,  you  allow  vegetable  action  to  take  place  in  it.  If,  on  the 
other  hand,  you  draw  3*0111'  water  from  the  soil,  it  is  best  to  store 
it  in  a  small  reservoir,  where  the  water  is  constantly  running, 
because  3*011  must  preserve  it  in  its  pure  condition,  and  when  so 
stored  it  is  much  less  exposed  to  contamination. 

Dr.  BLAKE. — Doctor,  3*011  are  familiar  with  Boston's  S3*stem 
of  water  supply,  —  drawing  from  the  river  and  storing  in  basins? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Do  you  know  the  manner  in  which  the  basins  were  prepared 
for  the  storage  of  the  water  ? 

A.  I  am  not  familiar  with  all  the  details  of  it.  I  believe  that  in 
part  marsh  and  low  lands  were  converted  into  basins. 

Q.    Without  any  preparation  ? 

A.    Without  any  preparation. 

Q.   Do  3*011  consider  that  a  desirable  method  of  procedure? 

A.  I  should  think  it  was  a  very  unfortunate  method,  one  which 
would  certainly  lead  to  contamination  of  the  water. 

Q.  If  you  had  been  consulted  in  regard  to  the  preparation  of 
those  basins,  what  conditions  would  you  think  absolutely  necessary 
to  preserve  the  purity  of  the  water? 

A.  I  should  think,  in  the  first  place,  the  removal  of  all  the  alluvial 
soil,  of  all  the  superficial  soil  distributed  upon  the  surface  down  to 
a  gravel  or  sandy  bottom,  as  the  case  might  be  ;  and  that  an3*  soil 
which  had  an3'  formation  of  organic  matter  in  it  should  be  entirely 
removed. 

Q.    You  would  do  that  before  admitting  the  water? 

A.    Before  admitting  the  water. 

Q.  And  3*011  would  also,  I  presume,  obtain,  if  possible,  a  con- 
siderable depth  in  all  parts  of  the  basins,  would  3*011  not? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  that  with  a  view  to  obtaining  a  low  temperature  of  the 
water? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Provided  that  these  measures  were  not  taken  at  the  begin- 
ning, would  3*011  deem  it  advisable,  if  circumstances  permitted,  to 
draw  off  the  water  from  one  of  these  basins  at  a  time,  remove 
the  alluvial  soil  and  decayed  loam,  and  then  allow  the  water  to  go 
back  again? 

A.  I  should  think  that  that  would  be  a  hazardous  experiment, 
unless  it  was  treated  like  the  making  of  a  basin  originally. 

Q.  If  we  were  able  to  completely  empty  one  of  these  basins 
which  had  not  been  properly  prepared  in  the  beginning,  after 


178  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

emptying  the  basin  and  removing  all  the  soil  and  loam* during  cold 
weather,  the  water  might  then  be  returned  with  very  little  danger? 

A.  I  think  so,  in  that  case.  I  think  the  essential  condition 
would  be  to  do  it  during  the  cold  season,  however,  — after  the  cold 
weather  had  begun. 

Q.  If  you  were  consulted  by  the  city  as  to  the  best  method  of 
preparing  storage-basins  for  the  future  you  would  insist,  then,  upon 
the  removal  of  the  loam  and  the  soil,  and  the  obtaining  of  a  con- 
siderable depth  for  the  basins,  would  3'ou  not? 

A.  I  would  insist,  with  our  present  system  of  suppty,  that  these 
are  indispensable  conditions. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  — Dr.  Minot,  do  you  take  the  ground  that  the 
existence  of  the  soil  on  the  bottom  of  these  basins  would  prove  to 
be  deleterious  to  the  public  health  ? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.  What  would  you  expect  to  be  the  effect  upon  the  public 
health? 

A.  I  think  the  effect  of  it  is  that  it  is  a  source  of  organic 
decomposition.  It  is  a  great  storage  of  partly  decomposed  organic 
matter  which  forms  that  soil ;  and  the  moment  you  put  water  upon 
it  decomposition  sets  forward  again,  and  the  water  is  necessarily 
contaminated  with  the  gases  developed  by  decomposition  and  with 
the  soluble  organic  matter  which  is  also  formed.  I  think  these 
are  inevitable  results. 

Q.  Well,  I  believe  the  proportion  of  one  part  in  ten  thousand 
is  supposed  to  be  healthy. 

A.  I  think  what  proportion  is  healthy  may  be  determined  by 
chemical  anatysis.  It  may  interest  3*011  to  know  that  the  subject 
will  shortly  be  treated  fully  in  a  report  by  Prof.  Leeds,  of  Hoboken, 
N.J.,  who  has  taken  up  that  question.  I  think  that  it  will 
undoubtedly  be  a  thorough  discussion  of  the  subject.  I  think  they 
are  all  agreed  that  it  is  not  safe  to  put  amr  absolute  limit  as  to 
what  proportion  is  certainly  healthy  or  unhealthy. 

Q.    When  do  j'ou  expect  that  report  will  be  published? 

A.    Probably  in  a  few  days. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Is  it  generally  understood  among  chemists  that, 
when  you  obtain  by  chemical  analysis  more  than  a  certain  per  cent, 
of  solid  matters  in  water,  such  water  is  liable  to  become  dan- 
gerous to  health? 

A.    I  think  so. 

Q.  I  suppose  the  nature  of  the  solid  matter  would  have  a  good 
deal  to  do  with  the  healthiness  of  the  water? 

A.    Certainly. 

Q.  I  take  it  that  any  water  holding  a  large  percentage  of 
organic  matter,  under  certain  circumstances  of  temperature  and 
conditions,  will  become  an  element  dangerous  to  the  public  health? 

A.  Certainly.  There  is  one  other  point,  which  does  not  come 
directly  from  what  I  saw  in  Leipsic,  which,  if  gentlemen  will 
permit  me,  I  might  mention,  and  that  is,  the  independence  of  the 
healthf nlness  of  water  from  its  taste.  I  think  it  is  considered  by  a 
good  man}r  persons — and  I  am  one  of  them  —  that  the  attention 
which  has  been  directed  to  the  taste  of  Boston  water  is  unfor- 


APPENDIX.  179 

lunate,  for  this  reason  :  that  we  may  have  water  which  is  perfectly 
tasteless  and  perfectly  pure  in  its  appearance,  and  which  is  }Tet  in 
an  extremely  dangerous  condition.  Taste  is  not  an  index  to  the 
hygienic  condition  of  the  water.  Not  only  is  it  true  that  \ve  may 
have  water  which  tastes  perfectly  well,  and  may  yet  be  unhealthy, 
but  the  opposite  is  true,  — we  may  have  water  which  tastes  badly, 
but  which  is  perfectly  safe  to  drink. 

Q.  I  suppose  that  water  contaminated  b}'  sewage  might  be 
tasteless  and  very  agreeable  to  look  at,  quite  clear  and  free  from 
anything  disagreeable  in  color  as  well  as  taste,  and  yet  be  ex- 
tremely dangerous  to  health  ? 

A.  Certainly. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  I  want  to  ask  you  a  few  more  questions 
about  this  Leipsic  system.  As  I  understand,  they  pump  the 
water  from  a  large  pipe  to  which  a  number  of  feeders  have  been 
brought,  which  drain  the  water  from  what  is  called  the  water  level 
in  the  ground? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.    To  what  extent  do  they  carry  those  feeders? 

A.  They  do  not  carry  them  to  any  great  distance.  They  have 
a  long  tube  which  runs  in  the  direction  of  the  stream,  and  they  have 
a  series  of  cross  tubes,  —  smaller  pipes  running  laterally, — and 
those  pipes  will  not  be  more  than  a  few  hundred  feet  (I  think)  long 
on  each  side.  At  present  the  pipes  are  not  very  long,  because  from 
a  pretty  small  area  they  can  gather  an  enormous  supply  under  ex- 
ceedingly favorable  circumstances. 

Q.    They  pump  only  for  the  daily  use? 

A.  They  have  a  reservoir  which  holds  enough  for  daily  use  and 
for  tires. 

Q.    Comparatively  small? 

A.   A  comparatively  small  reservoir. 

Q.    They  pump  forty  gallons  per  inhabitant  per  day? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.    Six  millions  of  gallons  per  day? 

A.   Yes,  sir,  if  my  recollection  be  correct. 

Q.  Well,  that  condition  of  things  can  onl}*  exist  under  excep- 
tionably  favorable  circumstances,  I  should  imagine? 

A.  From  what  I  saw  there,  I  should  think  not.  I  should  think 
that  in  a  majority  of  cases  it  would  be  possible  to  draw  upon  the 
soil  for  water. 

Q.  Take  this  case,  for  example:  where  there  are  no  underlying 
strata  to  any  extent,  if  you  bore  for  water  in  the  vicinit}' of  Boston 
you  might  get  the  drainage  of  some  small  area,  but  3*011  are  not 
liable  to  tap  any  large  flowing  stream,  as  in  a  country  where  the 
underground  water-courses  have  not  been  interfered  with. 

A.  You  have  here,  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston,  districts  which  are 
not  very  much  inhabited  on  the  surface,  and  there  is  no  a  priori 
reason  of  which  I  am  aware  why  pipes  might  not  be  laid  along 
the  sides  of  a  stream,  and  the  water  which  flows  down  through  the 
soil  into  that  be  drained  off  before  reaching  the  river.  It  would 
practically  be  the  same  thing,  only  in  one  case  the  river  which  you 
do  not  tap  goes  on  the  surface,  and  in  the  other  case  it  goes  under 
the  ground. 


180  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

Mr.  BRADLEE. — In  this  place  you  speak  of  are  the4  pipes  near 
a  stream  or  river? 

A.  Near  no  superficial  river.  It  is  merely  the  flow  of  the  water 
in  the  ground. 

Mr.  GREKNOUGH. — Where  does  it  flow  to? 

A.  They  have  not  followed  the  stream  to  its  definite  outflow. 
It  probably  flows  off  and  joins  the  Elbe. 

Q.  Do  they  suppose  they  are  taking  water  which  has  run  under 
ground  for  a  great  distance,  or  that  they  are  simply  tapping  soil- 
water  which  has  settled  through  the  ground? 

A.    They  think  it  is  filtered  water  from  the  general  surface. 

Q.  They  do  not  expect  to  get  a  quantity  of  water  which  has 
drained  down  from  the  surface? 

A.  No.  They  get  water  which  has  flowed  together  from  a  very 
large  superficial  area,  the  peculiar  feature  being  that  there  was  this 
old  river-bed,  in  which  the  water  actually  flowed,  and  now  that 
river-bed  has  been  filled  up  with  gravel,  which  has  been  carried  into 
it,  and  the  gravel  at  the  same  time  has  been  spread  out  on  either  side 
and  makes  the  top  of  the  land  or  earth  upon  which  the  houses  are 
built ;  and  now,  when  the  water  soaks  down  through  the  gravel 
and  reaches  the  old  superficial  soil,  it  enters  again  the  old  river-bed, 
and,  as  it  finds  there  in  the  loose  gravel  its  easiest  passage,  it  still 
passes  along  over  what  was  formerly  the  river-bed  and  flows 
through  the  spaces  in  the  gravel. 

Q.  Where  they  are  able  to  find  large  superficial  deposits  of 
gravel,  you  would  expect  to  find  considerable  water  down  below  ? 

A.   Yes,  sir. 

Q.  In  a  great  many  places  you  could  not  do  that  without  cor- 
responding damage.  It  takes  the  water  out  from  a  very  large 
neighborhood,  and  reduces  its  height  in  the  wells  sometimes. 

A.  That  certainly  is  the  case  ;  but  then  the  layingof  this  system 
of  pipes  at  any  place  where  there  is  water  is  a  comparatively  inex- 
pensive process,  for  the  water  is  not  veiy  deep  below  the  surface. 
And  the  water  works  need  not  be  carried  on  all  at  one  point. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  —  What  is  the  quality  of  this  water  that  they  get 
at  Leipsic? 

A.  It  is  very  pure  water,  indeed.  It  contains  a  minimum 
quantity  of  organic  matter,  a  small  proportion  of  earthy  salts  to 
give  a  little  sparkle  to  the  water,  and,  1  think,  a  somewhat  large 
amount  of  carbonic-acid  gas. 

Q.  Did  they  start  with  this  plan  by  design,  or  was  it  suggested 
by  accident? 

A.    They  started  upon  it  by  deisgn. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Did  they  consider  the  subject  of  filtration, 
or  have  3*011  given  the  matter  attention? 

A.  I  think  in  the  London  companies  the  experience  with  fil- 
tration has  been  unfavorable.  They  are  doing  it  in  most  of  the 
companies;  but  it  involves  very  great  expense,  and  is  exposed  to 
frequent  accidents.  The  Kent  company,  which  I  believe  draws 
its  water  from  a  deep  source,  escapes  with  much  less  trouble 
than  the  others. 

Dr.  BLAKE. — How  much  water  does  the  Kent  company  obtain 
in  that  way,  do  you  remember  ? 


APPENDIX.  181 

A.   That  I  cannot  tell. 

Q.  From  3*0111-  knowledge  of  the  geological  formation  of  Boston 
and  vicinity,  do  you  think  any  sj'stem  of  that  sort  would  justify 
the  expense  and  trouble  of  testing  it? 

A.  I  should  think  it  was  sufficiently  possible  to  make  it  worthy  of 
serious  consideration,  because  there  are  very  large  areas  of  gravel 
deposit  in  the  neighborhood  of  Boston  ;  and  it  does  not  follow  that, 
because  the  borings,  which  have  been  made  on  marsh  lands  and  on 
land  entirely  surrounded  b}r  salt-water,  where  they  were  not  able 
to  properly  test  the  soil  or  surface-water,  were  not  successful, 
borings  elsewhere  would  not  be  so.  1  do  not  think  that  would  be 
sufficient  guidance  for  forming  a  definite  opinion  in  the  matter. 

Q.  Well,  from  your  knowledge  of  Boston  and  its  surroundings 
and  suburbs,  —  the  neighborhood  of  Boston  in  a  radius  of  a  dozen 
miles,  —  does  any  place  occur  to  you  as  favorable  to  a  trial  similar  to 
that  at  Leipsic? 

A.  I  should  think  that  out  in  the  direction  towards  the  north- 
west, or  towards  the  west,  there  might  be  localities  where  it 
would  be  desirable  to  try.  But  that  is  a  question  which  I  am  not 
prepared  to  answer  as  an  expert  at  all. 

Q.    Out  towards  Framingham? 

A.  Yes;  in  that  direction,  where  we  now  get  part  of  our  sup- 
pi}'  for  the  (.'\\y.  I  think  that  is  a  question  that  might  be  answered 
by  local  geologists.  There  is  a  gentleman  at  the  Natural  History 
rooms,  Mr.  Crosby,  who  is  familiar  with  the  geological  aspects  of 
that  territory,  and  has  examined  it  with  considerable  thoroughness. 

Q.  Do  3*ou  think  there  is  reasonable  probability  of  our  obtain- 
ing a  tolerable  supply  of  pure  water  in  that  way,  sufficient  to  jus- 
tify the  experiment? 

A.  I  should  not  be  willing  to  take  the  responsibility  of  giving 
determining  advice  upon  that  point ;  but,  as  far  as  my  knowledge 
of  the  matter  goes,  I  should  think  it  was  very  probable  that  it 
would  repay  the  outlay. 

Q.  Under  no  circumstances  would  you  allow  sewage  contamina- 
tion to  enter  the  city's  water  supply  ? 

A.  No.  I  think  that  is  inexcusable.  That  cannot  be  defended 
or  excused  in  an}"  way. 

Q.  You  are  quite  positive  in  your  belief  that  sewage  does  not 
become  innocuous  by  dilution,  or  by  exposure  to  the  atmosphere? 

A.  I  think  that  sewage  may  certainly  be  rendered  innocuous  by 
dilution,  oxidation,  and  precipitation.  But  the  introduction  of  sew- 
age is  rendered  objectionable  by  the  peculiarity  of  our  climate, 
which  subjects  us  often  to  long  periods  of  drouth,  while  the  supply 
of  sewage  does  not  have  any  such  diminution.  It  is  a  constant 
supply,  and  as  the  supply  of  fresh  water  diminishes  the  ratio  of 
sewage  increases  to  such  an  extent  as  to  make  it  peculiarly  liable 
to  be  dangerous. 

Mr.  GREENOUGH.  —  Do  you  consider  that  sewage  can  be  purified 
by  dilution? 

A.  I  think  it  is  doubtful  whether  dilution,  unless  it  is  carried  to 
an  extreme  extent,  is  sufficient.  But  I  think  it  is  quite  settled 
that  oxidation  and  precipitation  do  suffice  to  render  it  perfectly 


182  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

innocuous.  In  moving  water  that  takes  place  with  extreme  rapidity, 
so  that,  I  think,  if  we  had  an  ordinarily  constant  supply  of  pure 
water  we  might,  perhaps,  accept  a  moderate  admixture  of  sewage. 
But  that  is  not  the  condition  which  exists. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  And  the  danger  is  so  great  that  you  are  in  favor 
of  excluding  it  in  toto  ? 

A.  I  think  so.  I  think,  situated  as  we  are,  that  would  be  the 
only  justifiable  course. 

Q.  Does  water  purify  itself  from  decaying  organic  matter  by 
aeration  or  oxidation  and  constant  motion,  do  you  think,  so  as  to 
render  it  healthful? 

A.  Yes ;  I  think  it  does  so  entirely.  In  Leipsic  they  say 
that  such  is  the  fact,  even  in  the  case  of  very  quietly  flowing 
streams ;  that  a  contamination  of  thirty-five  parts  of  ammonia, 
which  is  three  or  four  times  more  than  the  health  limit,  will 
disappear  in  a  flow  of  three  or  four  miles,  or  with  great  rapidity. 
The  process  is  also  hastened  b.y  the  sediment  which  is  swept  into 
the  river.  Probably  the  fine  particles  of  mud  have  a  disinfecting 
action,  besides  acting  as  material  for  precipitation  where  the  proc- 
ess is  long  preserved. 

Q.  That  process  of  decomposition,  oxidation,  and  deposition 
takes  place  more  rapidly  where  the  water  is  exposed  to  the  air,  of 
course,  and  is  not  enclosed  in  a  culvert? 

A.   Very  much  more  rapidly. 

Q.  So  that  passage  through  a  culvert  would  not  have  the  same 
effect? 

A.  No,  sir.  On  the  contrary,  the  passage  through  a  conduit,  I 
think,  majT  expose  impure  water  to  increased  danger,  because  it  ap- 
pears, from  some  of  the  observations  that  have  been  made,  that  the 
low  organisms  which  are  so  dangerous  do  not  alwaj's  develop  in  open 
water,  and  there  is  some  reason  for  thinking  it  probable  that  dan- 
gerous forms  are  developed  in  closed  tubes  when  not  developed  in 
open  water,  and  that  the  same  organisms  which  in  open  water 
are  innocuous  may  become  very  dangerous  to  health  in  passing 
through  closed  tubes.  And  I  believe  there  was  a  case  of  such 
pollution,  which  did  occur  in  our  own  experience,  when  the  water 
possessed  a  very  disagreeable  constitution,  some  }*ears  ago,  and 
it  was  found  that  the  contamination  arose  in  the  pipes.  These,  of 
course,  are  matters  concerning  the  development  of  these  organisms 
which,  as  you  are  all  aware,  are  very  much  in  debate,  therefore  I 
would  not  express  positive  opinions  about  them. 

Q.  But,  finding  that  our  water  is  largely  impure,  we  cannot 
expect  that  the  simple  passage  through  a  closed  and  darkened  cul- 
vert is  going  to  deprive  that  water  to  any  appreciable  extent  of 
its  noxious  qualities  or  impurities? 

A.    I  do  not  think  you  can  safely  count  upon  it. 

Q.  You  have  not  the  sunlight  and  you  have  not  the  same  con- 
ditions? 

A.  And,  I  think,  another  essential  difference  is  the  absence  of 
green  vegetation,  the  presence  of  which  is  very  important,  because 
it  is  the  principal  source  of  the  development  of  oxygen,  the  con- 
stant renewal  of  which  by  plants  is,  I  believe,  considered  by  chem- 


APPENDIX.  183 

ists  more  important  in  the  purification  of  water  than  is  the  oxygen 
absorbed  from  the  air.  Oxygen  is  present  in  minute  quantities,  but 
disappears  in  open  water  ;  hence  the  necessity  o(  its  constantrcnewal. 
I  believe  it  is  considered  now  that  the  influence  of  atmospheric  air 
upon  the  purification  of  water  is  of  less  importance  than  has  been 
assumed,  and  that  the  vegetation  as  a  deoxidizing  agent  is  more 
important  than  the  direct  action  of  the  air.  I  made  some  inquiries, 
both  of  Professor  Hoffman  and  of  Professor  Leeds,  as  to  whether 
there  would  be  any  object  in  artificially  aerating  water  in  the  pas- 
sage from  the  storage-basins  to  the  city,  and  they  both  —  neither 
knowing  the  other's  answer  —  said  immediately  not ;  that  air  could 
not  be  introduced  into  the  water  in  sufficient  quantity  to  accom- 
plish purification,  —  that  it  would  not  pay  for  the  expense. 

Q.  On  the  general  subject  of  Boston's  water  supply,  doctor, 
knowing  the  nature  and  extent  of  the  complaints,  have  you  any 
suggestions  to  make  to  this  Commission  as  to  how  best  to  remedy 
them  ? 

A.  I  do  not  think  I  wish  to  make  any  suggestions  beyond  what 
would  naturally  come  of  themselves  from  what  I  have  said.  That 
is,  the  desirability  of  establishing  rules  to  prevent  the  present 
system  of  occasionally  drawing  off  and  cleaning ;  then  the  neces- 
sity of  preserving  the  vegetation  of  the  basins,  and,  if  it  ever 
becomes  necessary  to  clean  them,  to  do  so  by  dredging,  and  in 
that  case  to  allow  the  vegetation  to  start  up  again  before  the  water 
is  again  turned  into  the  system  of  water  supply  ;  and,  also,  the 
consideration  of  the  possibility  of  using  the  soil-water  in  case  an 
increase  in  the  water  supply  should  be  deemed  necessary.  I  think 
the  other  suggestions  will  appear  of  themselves. 

Q.  In  relation  to  the  subject  of  vegetation,  if  you  should 
remove  the  soil  from  which  vegetation  would  naturally  grow,  what 
would  you  deem  essential  as  a  substitute?  Would  you  create  arti- 
ficial vegetation  there? 

A.  No,  sir ;  because  vegetation  will  alwa}'s  develop  of  itself  as 
soon  as  it  is  requisite.  It  will  form  in  its  own  soil  and  constantly 
increase,  so  that  if  you  have  a  clean  bottom  all  3*011  have  to  do  is 
to  leave  it  undisturbed.  If  you  clean  it  off'  by  dredging  at  the 
beginning,  or  during  the  hot  season,  the  pond  is  exposed  to  putre- 
faction of  the  vegetation  killed  ;  but  if  you  do  so  in  the  late  autumn, 
then  by  next  spring  the  vegetation  would  start  tip  again. 

Q.  Then  there  is  no  danger  to  be  apprehended  from  cleaning, 
provided  the  proper  time  of  the  year  is  chosen? 

A.  If  the  proper  time  of  the  year  is  chosen,  and  if  you  avoid 
killing  off  what  you  leave  there. 

Q.  Well,  suppose  we  clean  the  bottom  thoroughly,  remove  all 
the  alluvial  soil  and  mould,  etc.,  and  do  that  very  completely 
during  cold  weather,  or  at  the  beginning  of  cold  weather,  there  is 
no  danger  to  be  apprehended  from  admitting  the  water  there,  and 
using  that  water  the  following  summer,  is  there? 

A.  I  think  not,  if  the  cleaning  is  really  thorough.  But  it  is 
almost  impossible,  in  a  majority  of  cases  impossible,  to  have  a  really 
thorough  cleaning. 

Q.   Even  if  you  undertook  it  late  in  the  season,  and  do  not  do 


184  CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 

it  perfectly,  you  would  not  have  any  vegetable  organisms  there 
under  water? 

A.  Not  during  cold  weather;  but  yon  might  preserve  a  portion 
of  the  vegetable  material  until  the  next  spring,  and  it  would  give 
rise  to  trouble  then. 

Q.  Then  yon  consider  that  the  process  even  at  any  time  is 
somewhat  dangerous? 

A.   Yes  ;  I  think  it  should  be  reduced  to  a  minimum. 

Q.  No  new  basin  would  be  free  from  being  exposed  to  the  same 
thing? 

A.  When  3*011  start  with  a  new  basin,  and  clear  awa3r  all  the 
alluvial  soil  down  to  the  gravel,  yon  get  down  to  a  clean  bottom, 
and  you  start  with  that.  But  if  you  have  water  turned  in  without 
removing  the  soil  you  have  a  great  supply  of  matter  which  is  partly 
in  a  state  of  preservation  and  partly  decayed,  besides  everything 
which  was  killed  when  you  drained  off  the  water  to  clean  up.  And 
it  is  practically  extremely  difficult  to  clean  off  the  bottom  of  such 
a  basin  completely  unless  you  make  the  work  on  the  bottom  as 
you  do  when  3*011  first  make  it.  There  is  the  difference.  An3*  one 
who  has  seen  the  actual  cleaning  out  of  a  basin,  and  the  condition 
of  the  water  after  it  was  let  in  again  during  the  summer  season, 
has  seen  at  once  that  there  was  a  very  great  contamination  of  the 
water. 

Q.  Is  there  an3*  specific  time  during  which  these  artificially  pre- 
pared basins  assume  the  character  of  natural  ponds  by  process  of 
self-purification? 

A.  I  think  in  the  course  of  a  3*ear  or  two  the3T  will  come  to  be 
like  natural  ponds  by  self-purification. 

Q.  That  is,  by  the  process  of  solution,  decomposition,  and 
deposition,  these  decayed  organic  matters  sink  to  the  bottom  and 
become  harmless? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.  And  you  would  not  consider  that  water  injurious  or  dele- 
terious to  health? 

A.  No,  sir.  Without  speaking  of  each  individual  case,  I  should 
expect  that  such  water  would  be  fit  to  use. 

Q.  Well,  we  have  these  conditions  practically  now,  in  our 
storage-basins? 

A.  No  ;  because  3*011  have  not  the  conditions  of  a  natural  pond. 
In  a  natural  pond  the  decomposition  of  matter  takes  place  as  it 
is  formed,  and  3*011  find  there  that  this  matter  is  kept  in  a  con- 
stant^' moist  condition,  and,  having  undergone  this  decomposition 
upon  the  surface,  it  then  remains  in  a  tolerably  constant  condition. 
When  such  a  deposit  as  that  is  converted  into  soil,  as  has  actualty 
occurred  in  meadows,  you  have  again  altered  conditions,  and  you 
no  longer  have  the  conditions  which  existed  when  the  meadow 
was  submerged,  because  the  exposed  soil  has  been  acted  upon  by 
worms,  insect  larvae,  moles,  and  other  terranean  animals,  and  they 
have  deposited  their  faeces  in  it,  and  the  whole  nature  of  the  soil 
is  very  different  from  the  bottom  of  a  natural  pond. 

Mr.'  SHEPARD.  —  As  I  understand,  the  Water  Board  now  for 
some  years  have  been  removing  the  loam  gradually  in  these  basins 


APPENDIX.  185 

during  the  summer  season  when  the  water  is  low,  so  that  in  time 
they  expect  to  get  it  all  removed  around  the  borders  to  a  depth 
of  from  seven  to  twelve  feet ;  and,  from  the  remarks  you  have 
last  made,  I  should  consider  you  would  assume  that  to  be  dan- 
gerous to  the  water  supply? 

A.  I  should  think  it  was  undesirable  to  do  that  during  that 
season. 

Q.  Well,  it  would  be  at  any  time,  would  it,  to  keep  continually 
drawing  water  from  that  basin? 

A.  The  continual  drawing  of  water  from  that  basin,  and  the 
storing  of  it,  I  think,  must  increase  the  danger  of  pollution,  be- 
cause it  is  a  question  of  solution  from  such  a  soil.  Of  course  the 
rapidity  of  solution  depends  upon  the  extent  of  the  exposed  sur- 
face ;  and  if  the  soil  is  dug  up  a  great  deal  of  it  remains  sus- 
pended in  the  water,  and  thereby  the  surface  for  solution  is 
increased. 

Q.  Then  would  there  be  any  other  way  than  to  shut  off  one  of 
those  basins,  drain  the  water  off,  and  clear  the  basin,  and  then  let 
the  water  in  to  stand  for  some  months  before  using  it? 

A.    I  should  think  that  would  be  the  best  way. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  And  to  do  that  in  cold  weather? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Mr.    SHEPARD.  —  And  that  is  practically  the  only  way,  is  it  not? 

A.    I  think  so,  —  consistently  with  a  due  regard  to  health. 

Q.  And  that  would  be  done  with  comparatively  little  danger, 
and  with  great  ultimate  benefit? 

A.    Yes,  sir. 

Q.  It  has  been  stated  by  the  engineers  that  the  expense  of  that 
is  going  to  be  something  very  large.  Do  3-011  think  it  is  important 
enough  to  say  that  it  should  be  done  notwithstanding? 

A.    As  far  as  I  can  judge,  I  should  suppose  it  would  be. 

Dr.  BLAKE. — You  think,  doctor,  that  the  ultimate  benefit  fol- 
lowing that  thorough  cleansing  would  justify  the  expense,  even  if 
large  ? 

A.  That  would  be  my  opinion.  I  only  wish  to  have  it  under- 
stood clearly  that  I  do  not  consider  myself  one  of  those  who  have 
thoroughly  investigated  the  matter. 

Q.  Well,  as  a  tax-payer,  and  having  that  stated  to  you  as  the 
result  of  scientific  investigation,  you  would  feel  justified  in  author- 
izing such  an  expense  for  the  benefit  that  you  would  personally 
derive  from  having  a  better  supply  of  water? 

A.    Yes,  sir  ;  that  is  so. 

Mr.  SHEPARD.  — Are  3Tou  of  the  opinion  that  the  soil  should  be 
removed  from  the  entire  basin,  even  where  the  water  is  to  be  deep? 

A.  I  should  think  that  would  be  the  best  plan,  unquestionably. 
I  should  hope  to  have  my  reservation  noted,  that  I  do  not  consider 
myself  sufficiently  posted.  If  I  were  to  give  advice  which  would 
be  decisive,  I  should  want  to  have  some  such  opportunity  as  the 
Commission  have  enjo3Ted. 

Dr.  BLAKE.  —  Are  you  familar  with  the  possible  sources  of 
water  supply  for  Boston  ? 

A.   Only  roughly.     I  have  no  very  minute  familiarity  with  them. 


186 


CITY  DOCUMENT  No.  129. 


Q.  From  your  experience,  from  the  experience  of  the  authorities 
at  Leipsic,  and  from  your  general  knowledge  of  the  surroundings 
of  Boston,  3*ou  think  we  would  be  justified  in  making  the  experi- 
ment of  obtaining  a  supply  of  water  by  boring? 

A.  A  supply  of  surface-water,  that  is,  I  should  not  recommend 
seeking  for  deep  water,  but  soil-water  in  its  ordinary  sense,  stand- 
ing at  a  certain  level  below  the  surface.  I  should  think  you 
would. 

Q.  How  deep  would  you  consider  it  desirable  to  penetrate  in 
order  to  endeavor  to  obtain  water? 

A.    Not  more  than  a  limited  number  of  feet. 

Q.    Fifty  feet? 

A.  I  should  think  fifty  feet  would  be  the  outside  limit.  It  might 
be  desirable  in  making  the  investigation  to  make  some  borings 
which  would  go  deeper  than  that,  because  the  standing  of  the 
water  does  not  depend  upon  the  configuration  of  the  surface.  You 
might  get  upon  a  hill  where  you  would  wish  to  make  a  boring ;  of 
course  that  would  increase  necessarily  the  depth.  But  I  should 
consider  that  advisable  only  in  case  an  increased  supply  was  neces- 
sary. I  think  our  supply  now  is  a  very  large  one. 

Adjourned. 


BOSTON,  Dec.  9,  1882. 
WATER   ANALYSIS, 

SUDBURY-RIVER    WATERS,    FROM    BOSTON    WATER    COMMISSION. 
[Figures  express  parts  per  100,000  of  water.] 


Location. 

Free 
Ammo- 

i?i 

Chlo- 

] 

RESIDUE  . 

1 

nia. 

PI 

Fixed. 

Vola- 
tile. 

Total. 

& 

Above  Cedar  Swamp  Pond     .   . 
Below      "           "         " 
Above  Junction  of  Cedar  Brook 
««       Basin  II          .          ... 

.0008 
.0024 
.0043 
0011 

.0084 
.0198 
.0184 
.0192 

.21 
.56 
.32 
.46 

2.90 
4.00 
1.40 
3.60 

3.00 
4.40 
3.70 
4.00 

5.90 
8:40 
5.10 
7.60 

1 
14 
1* 

Dam  II       

.0005 

.0302 

.52 

3.70 

5.00 

8.70 

1 

Above  Basin  TTT  

.0037 

.0194 

.60 

3.60 

2.50 

fi.10 

H 

.0005 

.0290 

.48 

3.25 

3.00 

6.25 

^ 

Service  at  Medical  School,  Feb.  3. 

.0026 

.0222 

.48 

3.50 

4.10 

7.60 

1° 

EDWARD   S.   WOOD. 


